Pardon the pun, but there were some that thought the 2010 MDI AIRPod car was destined to be little more than a lot of hot air. However, now a journalist has finally been able to take the car on a road test.
Last year Nick Kurczewski was the first North American journalist to be treated to a ride in one of the low-speed city cars – and now he has been able to road test the car himself.
The MDI AIRPod uses an engine that is fuelled by a system of high pressure air tanks constructed from lightweight carbon-fibre. It is expected that when the first production models are produced at the end of this year, they will operate at substantially less than the 10,000psi rating of hydrogen tanks that appear in some fuel cell vehicles. The car can reach 30mph and is fuelled entirely by compressed air.
So what was Nick’s verdict?
He concluded that several improvements still need to be made in order to drown out the engine noise, cushion the ride and increase the vehicle’s performance and range. However, he also stated that the car is very much for real and that eco-minded car enthusiasts should retain hope that air power can gain a foothold in the automotive world.
