French-Luxembourgish company MDI is developing a car that uses compressed air as fuel and is set to compete with electric vehicles. The car, called AirPod, has been in development for several years and has already been approved for use on some roads. It has a range of between 150 and 220 kilometers, making it capable of traveling further than many modern electric vehicles. The car’s special motor runs on compressed air and is powered by a 260-liter tank that can hold 65 cubic meters of air at 350 bar pressure. The full tank weighs just under 80 kilograms, which is no heavier than a conventional petrol or diesel tank. The car can be refueled in just 1 minute and 30 seconds using an external tank.
The AirPod is an emissions-free vehicle with an alternative propulsion system that weighs just 220 kilograms. It has a 7 kW motor and a maximum torque of 1,500 revolutions per minute. The car’s top speed is 70 kilometers per hour, and it has a motor weight of just 24 kilograms. The body of the car is made mostly of a mixture of fiberglass and polyurethane, while other important parts such as the motor suspension, gearbox, and wheel suspension are made of aluminum. The interior is well-designed and includes several storage compartments and even a cooling compartment.
MDI plans to produce and sell the AirPod in India initially, but it remains to be seen whether the car will be available in other countries. A study by the University of California has shown that the AirPod is less environmentally friendly than a conventional petrol car or a battery-powered electric car. However, the AirPod does have an advantage over petrol cars in terms of primary energy consumption. The clear winner of the study was the battery-powered electric car, which outperformed the AirPod in all areas.
