With fuel prices soaring to a new high, Tata Motors is all set to launch MiniCAT, a car that runs on compressed air. India’s largest automaker Tata Motors will start production of the world’s first commercial air powered vehicle very soon. After launching the ‘world’s cheapest car’ ,Tata Nano, the MiniCAT, which is scheduled for end 2012 / early 2013 launch, will be a revolutionary one and will be like stepping into next era where cars won’t require any fossil fuel and emissions that will be almost zero.
Reports confirm Tata Motors will initially start production of around 6000 units of the eco-friendly car which is developed by Formula One engineer Guy Nigre in Luxembourg for MDI. The renowned Indian company will put a sticker of Rs. 6, 50,000 on one of the first-of-its-kind car which, if successful, can change the face of the automotive industry as a whole.
The long range of the MiniCAT can be compared to current eco-friendly electric cars which has maximum travelling distance of 150 km on average showing on their dash-boards. Each refill of compressed air will cost Rs. 100 which will mean you will shell out almost nothing to travel 300km with maximum speed of 105 km/hr.
The future car will be based on Mono Energy Engine developed by ‘Moteur Development International (MDI)’. In 2007, Tata Motors licensed the rights from MDI to build & sell the technology under Tata’s brand name in India. There has been no word received since, whether Tata will be using this technology to build one of the MDI prototype cars or it will install the air-compressed engine to one of its existing car. After the agreement was signed for 28 million USD, MDI has been working in close collaboration with Tata Motors for the application of MDI technology in India. Elsewhere around the globe, MDI is continuing its work to set up concept factories so that the future zero-emission technology can be made available sooner than later.
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Source: Gaadi
