Running on Air… towards 100% Solar & Sustainable Lifestyles

9 October, 2008

Whizzing around town on a few cents per day, i.e. less than $2 per 100km, using green electricity without carting any heavy batteries?

Today in Nice, France, Motor Development International s.a. (MDI), unveiled theAIRPod, a revolutionary vehicle that achieves just that, moving people around town cleanly, elegantly, with ease and sustainably on less than $2/100km.

The advanced transport and power generation engineering group MDI of Luxembourg and France is one of the two parent companies of IT MDI – Energy Ltd the other being IndraNet Technologies Ltd of New Zealand.

“The AIRPod is great fun, there is no driving wheel – you run it with a joy stick”, said Dr Louis Arnoux, Managing Director of IndraNet who took part in the unveiling. “Why pay $15 to $25/100 km to drive our cars like we do in New Zealand and Australia, when we can do it on $2 or less?”.

The AIRPod is powered with one small compressed air engine, and 2 alternators, one for each of the larger wheels (see specifications in right column).

Using the joystick, the driver steers the AIRPod by controlling the power directed to each wheel. The AIRPod has a driving range of over 200 km per fill of compressed air and in the dual-fuel version, burning a small amount of second or third generation biofuel, its range extends to over 600km.

Refill of the 175 litres compressed air composite carbon fibre bottle takes 1.2 minutes. “Traditional electric vehicles typically take 5 hours or more for a full recharge, and they cost about five times more than an AIRPod” stressed Guy Nègre, Managing Director of MDI, inventor and designer of the AIRPod.

“Safety wise, MDI is producing the ultimate”, said Dr Arnoux. “The airbags are outside the AIRPod. When a crash is imminent the airbags inflate and absorb the kinetic energy of the crash outside the Pod. The Pod itself is made of composite materials that constitute a safe cell protecting the passengers”.

The AIRPod is a reconfigurable platform. While substantially smaller than a Smart Car, for example, it can transport up to four passengers (instead of 2 only for the smallest of vehicles currently on the market). It can also be produced as a golf cart, a small utility vehicle for trades people, for couriers, or as an off road farm vehicle. “The design is extremely versatile”, said Mr Nègre.

Mr Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, MP of the French Parliament, President of the Maritime Alps Regional Government and of the Nice Côte d'Azur Urban Area, formally launched the AIRPod and signed a Protocol Agreement with Mr Nègre for the supply of a fleet of utility AIRPods to the City of Nice.

Eventually, MDI’s aim is to establish in Nice and many other cities schemes emulating Paris’ hugely successful Velib, the bicycle-sharing programme involving more than 10,600 bicycles that people can hop onto at some 750 stations all over the Capital City. Similarly, Nice citizens will be able to swipe their credit cards and hop into an AIRPod at a number of air points located around the city. A number of other cities have already expressed keen interest.

The AIRPods are designed to fit within the regulations of a number of EU countries that allow certain inner-city vehicles to be driven without a driving licence (similar to regulations concerning mopeds). Their speed is limited to 45 km/hour. With a drivers licence, AIRPods can be driven up to 70 km/hour.

IndraNet had the foresight to invest in the MDI technology in 1999. It holds the exclusive rights for all applications for Australasia (Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands) that range from compressed air only AIRPods through multi-fuelled small and large cars, buses, trucks, power generation units, farm machinery, boats and aircrafts.

IT MDI – Energy Ltd, the joint subsidiary IndraNet and MDI created in 2006, plans to showcase the AIRPod and the multi fuelled power generation technology in both Australia and New Zealand later this year and early in 2009.

“We have already identified keen demand for off-road applications of the AIRPod in the thousands of units throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific”, said Dr Arnoux, “this gives us time to get through the certification processes in Australia and New Zealand for on-road applications.”

IT MDI – Energy Ltd also plans to launch multi-fuelled point-of-use power generation units that are based on the same compressed gas technology used in the AIRPods. These units are being customised to produce lower cost power, air conditioning, hot water and recycle grey water, with over 60% estimated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

“We have demand for more than the first two years of production of power generators and vehicles for the first manufacturing facility that we are planning in Melbourne”, said Dr Arnoux. “Our partners, the well known Australian high performance automotive engineering company Perfectune – Yella Terra are scheduled to begin manufacturing for us the first batch of MDI engines in Melbourne before the end of 2008, ahead of IT MDI – Energy’s own manufacturing facility being planned for establishment during 2009. We aim to create a substantial amount of new jobs in both Australia and New Zealand”, he said.

In New Zealand, IT MDI-Energy has selected IT-Mainland Ltd, the current licensee of the IndraNet Technology, to manufacture the vehicles and power generators.

“The launch of the AIRPod marks the beginning of an exciting journey towards 100% Solar and Sustainable lifestyles” said Dr Arnoux. “We expect that within three years, MDI will have implemented new versions of its technology enabling its engines to run on energy 100% derived from solar sources” he said.
“We have the know how, the business and financial models, and the technology package to smoothly bring any region where we deploy to 100% Solar and Sustainable status over a 10 to 20 year period. We know how to do so in ways that cost substantially less than what people currently pay for transport, energy and communications and that do not require massive and punitive government interventions like carbon taxes or ineffectual Emission Trading Schemes”, said Dr Arnoux.

For more information

In Christchurch: Russell Fitts 021 310 409 03 365 6485
In Auckland: David Gutierez 021 263 5161
In Australia: Richard Hutchinson +61 (0)415 666 880 +61 (0)3 5964 8569

Pictures and videos

Matthew Ahearn, Shoshin Design, 021 510 763

IT MDI-Energy Ltd

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