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A compressed air
car is
a compressed air vehicle
that uses a motor powered by compressed air.
The car can
be powered solely by air,
or combined (as in a hybrid electric vehicle) with gasoline, diesel,
ethanol, or an electric plant with regenerative braking.
MDI Website
CLEAN
ENVIRONMENT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A LUXURY…
…and MDI has endeavoured relentlessly to design, develop and create Clean,
Ergonomic and Affordable Vehicles and Power Generators. Taking into
consideration only the essential and needful features, MDI has formulated an
overall philosophy based on technological innovations which have direct
impact on global environment. Consequently, MDI has succeeded in developing
cutting edge technologies that promote pollution free environment and are
inexpensive to manufacture.
AN INNOVATIVE PRODUCTION METHODOLOGY…
…in which MDI has redefined the concept of manufacturing and marketing of
vehicles! MDI inventions have brought about simplification of the products
by decreasing the mass and reducing the number of components required,
resulting in lower manufacturing costs. Even the marketing of vehicles has
been revamped in order to keep the cost down. The vehicles are sold directly
at the point of manufacture, cutting out all middlemen. This completely
eliminates the carbon footprint by avoiding shipment of vehicles from one
country to another, thus protecting the environment for the future
generation.
THE PRODUCT
RANGE...
… whether it is in the Transportation field, Energy Management field or in
Energy Production field, is designed to simplify everyday life and allow the
end-users to relax with deep satisfaction that they are making a significant
contribution to save the planet!
AIR CAR FEATURES
MDI COMPRESSED AIR ENGINE
Unlike petrol or diesel engines, the MDI
technology does not use any form of internal combustion.
The engine is also
reversible and recompresses air into a built-in carbon fibre
storage tank. The lightweight engine offers a pathway towards a
freedom from fossil fuel reliance.
COMPRESSED AIR TANKS
One of the most frequently asked
questions is about the safety of the compressed air storage
tanks. These tanks hold 90 cubic metres of air compressed to 300
bars. Many people ask whether this system is dangerous in case
of an accident and if there is a risk of explosion. The answer
is NO. Why?
Because these are the same tanks used to carry the liquid gas
used by buses for public transport. The tanks enjoy the same
technology developed to contain natural gas. They are designed
and officially approved to carry an explosive product: methane
gas.
In the case of a major accident, where the tanks are ruptured,
they would not explode since they are not metal. Instead they
would crack, as they are made of carbon fibre. An elongated
crack would appear in the tank, without exploding, and the air
would simply escape, producing a loud but harmless noise. Of
course, since this technology is licenced to transport an
inflammable and explosive gas (Natural gas), it is perfectly
capable inoffensive and non-flammable air.
It is fitting, therefore, that
MDI has reached an agreement with the European leader in
aerospace technology Airbus Industries for the manufacture of
the compressed air storage tanks. With a remote supervision
arrangement, Airbus Industries oversees the making of the
storage tanks at each MDI factory. The coiled carbon fibre
technology used in the construction of the tanks is complex and
requires a substantial quality control process which the
multinational company, home of the Airbus aircraft, will provide
for our vehicles.
BRAKE POWER RECOVERY
The MDI vehicles will be equipped
with a range of modern systems. For example, one mechanism stops
the engine when the car is stationary (at traffic lights,
junctions etc). Another interesting feature is the pneumatic
system which recovers about 13% of the power used.
THE BODY
The MDI car body is built with
fibre and injected foam, as are most of the cars on the market
today. This technology has two main advantages: cost and weight.
Nowadays the use of sheet steel for car bodies is only because
of cost - it is cheaper to serially produce sheet steel bodies
than fibre ones. However, fibre is safer (it doesn't cut like
steel), is easier to repair (it is glued), doesn't rust etc. MDI
is currently looking into using composite flax fibre
THE AIR FILTER
The MDI engine works with both
air taken from the atmosphere and air pre-compressed in tanks.
Air is compressed by the on-board compressor or at service
stations equipped with a high-pressure compressor.
Before compression, the air must
be filtered to get rid of any impurities that could damage the
engine. Carbon filters are used to eliminate dirt, dust,
humidity and other particles which, unfortunately, are found in
the air in our cities.
This represents a true revolution
in automobiles - it is the first time that a car has produced
minus pollution, i.e. it eliminates’ and reduces existing
pollution rather than emitting dirt and harmful gases. The
exhaust pipe on the MDI cars produces clean air, which is cold
on exit (between -15º and 0º) and is harmless to human life.
With this system the air that comes out of the car is cleaner
than the air that went in.
THE CHASSIS
Based on its experience in
aeronautics, MDI has put together highly-resistant, yet light,
chasses, aluminium rods glued together. Using rods enables us to
build a more shock-resistant chassis than regular chasses.
Additionally, the rods are glued in the same way as aircraft,
allowing quick assembly and a more secure join than with
welding. This system helps to reduce manufacture time.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Guy Nègre, inventor of the MDI
Air Car, acquired the patent for an interesting invention for
installing electrics in a vehicle. Using a radio transmission
system, each electrical component receives signals with a
microcontroller. Thus only one cable is needed for the whole
car. So, instead of wiring each component (headlights, dashboard
lights, lights inside the car, etc), one cable connects all
electrical parts in the car. The most obvious advantages are the
ease of installation and repair and the removal of the
approximately 22 kg of wires no longer necessary. What’s more,
the entire system becomes an anti-theft alarm as soon as the key
is removed from the car.
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AIR VOLUTION LTD
The core product is a compressed air engine that
has multiple applications in the transport arena. The
highly efficient engine is powered by compressed air.
The engine is also reversible and recompresses air into
a built-in carbon fibre storage tank. The lightweight
engine offers a pathway towards a freedom from fossil
fuel reliance.
