Bye Bye Hybrid?

Would you buy a pollution-free car for $7,000 which has a top speed of 70 mph and can travel 125 miles on $3 tank of fuel? The fuel: compressed air.

 The air car was developed by a French company. It is now under production by India’s Tata Motors and will hit the market at the end of 2008. The air car, also known as the Mini-CAT or City Cat, can reportedly be refueled in minutes from an air compressor at specially equipped gas stations.

The almost 100% plastic, air car features a fiberglass body, a revolutionary electrical system and is completely computer-controlled. It will sell in India for around $2,000 (US) 

How does it work? The air car is powered by the expansion of compressed air, using no combustion at all, and the exhaust is entirely clean and cool enough for use in the internal air conditioning system. 

Tata is also expanding into the world market. The company acquired Korea’s Daweoo in 2004 and is now the top bidder to purchase the originally British Jaguar and Land Rover lines from U.S. Ford Motor Company.

This could be great news for the troubled U.S. car manufacturer, and even better news for the environment.