What if there were a car that ran not on gasoline or hydrogen cells, but on compressed air? And what if low end models were available not for $50,000, not for $20,000, but for under $5000? Would you buy one?
MDI of France will be rolling out its air car in France and India in late 2008 at prices ranging from $4,800 to $12,900. It's going to have 2, 4, and 6 cylinder engines available, and fit up to 5 passengers. Of course it's a zero-emission vehicle, and it's going to be able to go up to 500 highway miles on one fill-up, travelling up to 68mph.
So what exactly is a "fill-up"? You plug the car in at home, and a built-in compressor fills the air tanks in four hours. While I can imagine certain inconveniences with the car, and there might be dangers to consider with compressed air explosions during car accidents, I think it's an awesome idea overall, and I hope they bring the idea stateside sooner than later.
Check out the company's website at TheAirCar.com.