Last December, Green Car Advisor’s Nick Kurczewski was able to snag a ride in MDI’s AIRPod . Now, the lucky punk journalist has taken a turn behind the wheel. The short version of his review: this could be the car of the future and it feels like an amusement park ride, but it’s no Millennium Falcon. Seriously. As we know, the Air Car uses compressed air to power a small two-cylinder engine. The 180cc poweplant produces 5.4 horsepower, but MDI is working on a upgraded AIRPod GT will have 8 hp. Kurczewski says the AIRPod’s joystick steering is modified from the original design, which would have seen the speed and deceleration controlled by the stick as well as direction. That complicated-sounding mess has been scrapped in favor of more traditional pedals + joystick. Check out all the details - including why driving a bubble car with no openable windows in June is not a good idea and how MDI plans to bring dozens of AIRPods to airports and universities and other locations around the world - over at Inside Line . Thanks to throwback for the tip! [Source: Inside Line ] Filed under: Emerging Technologies Driving the airless Air Car could be a better experience originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

One of the more approachable topics discussed at the SAE World Congress this week (as opposed to, say, ” CAE Simulation/Test Correlation and Optimization in Automotive Engineering .” Not that there’s anything wrong with that) was a talk by Philip Gott , director of automotive consulting at IHS Global Insight with the title “Is mobility as we know it sustainable?” Gott used IHS’ deep resources to look at how the world will deal with the potential of 3.5 billion vehicles in 2035. If that’s going to happen (and, if current trends continue, then it will), then the problems we see today with 800 million vehicles will be compounded like mad. What’s the solution? There are many, but carsharing and smaller urban vehicles are two. Full details - and audio - after the jump. Oh, and he talks about the AirPod, too. Continue reading SAE 2009: Is mobility sustainable? Not the way we’re running it today Filed under: Emerging Technologies , EV/Plug-in , Transportation Alternatives , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , SAE World Congress SAE 2009: Is mobility sustainable? Not the way we’re running it today originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Emerging Technologies , AutoblogGreen Exclusive Click above for a high-res gallery of the RORMaxx The RORMaxx Formula AE student project got some attention when we first posted on it a few weeks ago. AutoblogGreen reader Jesse K. wanted to get some information directly from the horse’s mouth and contacted Rory Handel (one of the students involved) about the technical features of this wind-assisted car. Basically, the students don’t think they’ve rewritten the rules of physics here, as you can see in the email thread of Jesse and Rory’s conversation pasted after the jump. Rory gives us a little more detail on the “Air Flow Recovery” system. It’s not perpetual motion, just trying to snag some extra energy as the car moves down the street. In the computer models and in the lab, at least, the system works. Full details after the jump. If you missed the first post on the RORMaxx, click here . Gallery: RORMaxx Continue reading More details on the RORMaxx Formula AE wind-assisted car More details on the RORMaxx Formula AE wind-assisted car originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Emerging Technologies A rear seat that faces backwards. Powered by compressed air. Name like the AirPOD and FlowAIR . A windshield that doubles as the door. There are a lot of hurdles that MDI’s compressed air line of vehicles needs to jump before people will consider them “real” cars - or at least a solid alternative. At least one North American journalist was recently given the chance to see if riding in a prototype AirPOD is anything like a true car experience. The verdict: the vehicle is noisy, but maneuverable and takes some getting used to. Granted, MDI representatives say that there is a lot of work to do on the AirPOD - sound insulation and a better suspension were named by Green Car Advisor - before the vehicle goes on sale. MDI (which stands for Motor Development International and is based in Luxembourg) is saying that the first production models will be ready in March or April for around $8,300. These will be fleet vehicles used at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Consumer sales - whether in India with Tata Motors or in the US with an as-yet-unnamed partner - will have to wait. Gallery: New York 2008: MDI Air Car, X-Prize competitor [Source: Green Car Advisor ] Taking a ride in the Air Car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Emerging Technologies A rear seat that faces backwards. Powered by compressed air. Name like the AirPOD and FlowAIR . A windshield that doubles as the door. There are a lot of hurdles that MDI’s compressed air line of vehicles needs to jump before people will consider them “real” cars - or at least a solid alternative. At least one North American journalist was recently given the chance to see if riding in a prototype AirPOD is anything like a true car experience. The verdict: the vehicle is noisy, but maneuverable and takes some getting used to. Granted, MDI representatives say that there is a lot of work to do on the AirPOD - sound insulation and a better suspension were named by Green Car Advisor - before the vehicle goes on sale. MDI (which stands for Motor Development International and is based in Luxembourg) is saying that the first production models will be ready in March or April for around $8,300. These will be fleet vehicles used at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Consumer sales - whether in India with Tata Motors or in the US with an as-yet-unnamed partner - will have to wait. Gallery: New York 2008: MDI Air Car, X-Prize competitor [Source: Green Car Advisor ] Taking a ride in the Air Car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments