Air Car FAQs

1. How do you refill the compressed air tanks? How much does it cost?
2. Since it is necessary to produce electricity to recharge them, are your vehicles really clean?
3. What guarantee and post sale service will the vehicles have?
4. Do Air Car Vehicles stand up in terms of safety? Do you need a drivers licence?
5. Do Air Car Vehicles meet North American safety standards?
6. Are the cars homologated yet? Will they pass the standards?
7. 300 bars of compressed air stored on board the vehicle... is this dangerous for the passengers?
8. Is the car noisy?
9. How do you plan to produce heating in the vehicles?
10. How can I reserve an Air Car MiniCAT or OneCAT?

CATvolution Answers

1. The car's air tanks will be refilled thanks to the same internal engine working in compressor mode. This will take about four hours and 22 Kwh of electricity are needed as energy. Otherwise the tanks can be refilled with high pressure in three minutes at an air station. The cost of refueling with the generator will be approximately 1.5 Euros.
2. Air Car vehicles will have almost a similar guarantee as the cars which are on the road right now. The post-sale service will be handled by the licensees, partners, and manufacturers or CATvolution affiliated garages, similar to service stations. In effect, the vehicles have been conceived and designed to have an extremely easy maintenance.
3. Running the Air Car is as clean as the electricity you buy/produce. In some countries its geting closer and easier to order carbon free electricity, either through special schemes or through companies dedicated to producing sustainable electricity. But, even if you are unable to access a supplier with a sustainable electricity option, it is safer, cleaner, greener and more cost effective to distribute electricity than actually expending fuel kilometres/miles distributing flammable, polluting petrol/gasoline to individual stations. So though running the Air Car may not be totally pollution free for all users, it prevents the concentration of pollution in densely populated areas. Unfortunately, there is no technology that assures completely pollution free car manufacturing, but our efforts go trying to reduce it to a minimum.
4. Our vehicles will be approved like any car (M1) and follow the same safety rules and regulations. The car's tubular body allow for increased resistance in case of a crash. You will need a drivers licence as well as you need it for any other car.
5. Air car Vehicles will have to be adapted to eh American safety standards like any other European cars and furthermore they are going to be produced in every country and will have to reach the inner standards of each country.
6. The homologation is the final step of the development. Once the production has begun, the first cars (the pre-series) will be used for the crash tests and others. Anyways, the homologation of the car is composed of 100 questions, mostly related to safety, of which we have been taking care, since the first days, to keep up with the standards. The homologation will be done in France and it will be validated (with some details) for any other countries in the world.
7. Compressed air tanks have already been tested safe by one of our partners EADS(AIRBUS). This company's reputation in the aeronautical field is indisputable, and they have been proven in a thorough way the reliability of our tanks. What's more, the compressed air does not present any risk of explosion. Countless tests have been carried out in the most extreme conditions (gun shoots, resistance to fire...) to guarantee passenger safety in every possible condition. The high pressure tanks have been developed using a similar technology as those used in natural gas vehicles and by firefighters. All are produced with carbon fiber over plastic. The tanks that MDI puts in its vehicles are similar to those already in use in natural gas busses in Germany and also other countries.
8. It is not as silent as electric cars, but it still emits less sound than traditional cars do since the engine does not produce explosions (but expansions).
9. We are using a heating technology that involves the combustion of fuel, the same technique as used in some electric cars. The vehicle's body structure is composed of fiberglass over a polyurethane web which also helps to increase thermal insulation.
10. We have an information form under "Solution -> Order". Once production begins we will contact you to verify that you are still interested in purchasing one of our cars.