... c'est une succession d'infos qui arrivent en chœur depuis l'Inde à propos des voitures à air comprimé, propulsées par des moteurs MDI d'abord conçus puis développés en France.
Cet article regroupe donc ci-après les caractéristiques techniques diffusées :
"The mileage of Tata Mini CAT is phenomenal with almost double of the most fuel efficient electric car and costs mere Rs 50 per 100 kilometer. Thus with only air used as fuel, the maintenance part is also pretty less"
Carzy Team on February 22nd, 2012
Vitesse de pointe pour cette citadine : 105 km/h
Autonomie : 300 km.
Le mois d'Août 2012 reste en vigueur pour le lancement officiel en Inde.
Cette précision étant faite pour l'un de nos lecteurs les plus plus assidus, Jean-Yvan, ex-journaliste au Figaro.
Il est donc naturel que certains constructeurs automobiles européens commencent à prendre leur liberté vis-à-vis du lobby pétrolier, ou des compagnons du fromage financier que représentent les voitures électriques et leurs batteries empoisonnées au Lithium.
Selon Didier Grimonprez, toujours aussi bien documenté
La collaboration avec Tata Motors en Inde a été très active ce dernier semestre et dans quelques semaines elle sera couronnée par des nouvelles de niveau mondial.
Des tests faits par un motoriste indépendant sont très positifs et démontrent un rendement comparable à celui du moteur électrique. Un des 5 plus grands constructeurs auto du monde négocie un partenariat avec MDI et Volvo a demandé à MDI de lui fabriquer un moteur. De très bonnes nouvelles sont mises en perspective pour les mois à venir.
Le 20 mars prochain, l'assemblée générale des actionnaires de MDI se tiendra au siège social à Luxembourg.
Rappelez-vous, en 2011, dans son article du 09 Juin, le professeur Schlomo Maital* du Technion Institute of Management de Haïfa, Israël, nous expliquait **
"Mon ami et co-auteur le professeur D.V.R. Seshadri a relayé à mon attention cette information qui n'a pas encore eu d'écho dans les grandes sources d'information mondiales.
Tata, le conglomérat indien mondial, qui a racheté Jaguar / Land Rover, puis construit la voiture la moins chère du monde, a maintenant innové avec une voiture qui fonctionne à l'air.
Vraiment!
En voici les détails"***.
- o O o -
Elles et Ils en parlent :
Starting in 2004, french-based company Moteur Developpment International developed a line of liquid-air powered cars called MiniCats and CitiCats in a partnership with Tata Motors, one of India’s largest automobile manufacturers. With the existing technology, the cars can’t go that far.
In a CitiCat, a four-cylinder, 800 cc boxer-style engine produces 25 horsepower, which is enough to give the 1650 pound concept vehicles a top speed of 68 mph. With the single engine, the cars have a range of 125 miles on the 4400 psi air held in carbon-fiber tanks. It would take only a few minutes to refuel at gas stations equipped with MDI-supplied air compressor units. Drivers theoretically could plug into a standard electrical outlet at home and use the car’s built-in compressor to refill its tanks in about four hours.
A Car That Runs On Air May Not Be Such A Far Fetched Idea
by Andrea Rothe - on February 7th, 2012 11:15 AM
http://guy.com/2012/02/07/a-car-that-runs-on-air-may-not-be-such-a-far-fetched-idea/
Air-Powered Cars Become a Reality in 2012
Posted by: Obai Radwan Tags: air powered cars, AIRPod, CityFlowAIR, compressed air motors, Eco Friendly,Indica Vista EV, Luxembourgian, MiniFlowAIR, Motor development International, MultiFlowAIR, TATA, vehicles Posted date: January 15, 2012
Air-powered cars are motorized by compressed air motors. These cars can be exclusively powered by air, or they can be combined with other types of fuels such as electricity, gasoline, or ethanol. The idea of the compressed air motors is to use the kinetic energy that stores compressed air in a tank under high pressure, around 30 megapascals (4351.13 pounds per square inch).
These motors are considered among the greenest that can be used in personal transportation methods and are considered very eco-friendly cars by both European and Indian standards. The refueling of the vehicle can be done at home or with a normal air compressor at service stations.
The same compressed air can also be used in air conditioning for heating or cooling the passengers. Adding to the environmental and economical benefits of the air-powered cars, these cars would help in the reduction and elimination of chemical and thermal hazards by gasoline and battery acids.
The major Indian automobile company, Tata Motors, has announced that they will begin selling these cars, dubbed the Tata Mini CAT car, in the world market during 2012. According to the designers, the car has keyless operating and an access card to open the car doors and to start driving. It seats six, and the maximum speed of the car is about 105 kilometers per hour (65.24 miles per hour).
The starting price of the Mini CAT car begins at about $12,700 USD in the Indian market and will be available around the globe. Tata is using a technology from the Luxembourgian Motor Development International company (MDI) to produce this type of car to be sold commercially around the world.
This car was manufactured after failing to market the first version of the car due to difficulties of limited range and low engine temperatures. Tata called the first version Tata OneCAT, which was produced between 2008 and 2009. Following that, all OneCat information has been removed from Tata and MDI’s websites.
Tata also has other green cars, such as the Indica Vista EV and the Tata Nano EV, which are fully electric vehicles. Indica Vista EV is available in Indian, Norwegian, British, and Spanish markets with a price around 30,000 Euros ($38,464.94 USD). MDI also produces a lot of air-powered vehicles, including AIRPod, OneFlowAIR, MiniFlowAIR, CityFlowAIR, and MultiFlowAIR.
All MDI products range from 1,000 euros to 9,000 euros ($1,284.13 to $11,545.25 USD), and the air refueling would cost around 2 euros per 300 kilometers. The spread of environmentally friendly cars, instead of petrol-fueled cars, will help sustain life on our planet and save natural resources.
Traduction partielle :
"L'entreprise indienne Tata Motors, major de l'industrie automobile, a annoncé qu'elle va commencer à vendre ces voitures, adoubées comme "Tata Mini CAT", courant 2012 au niveau mondial.
Selon les concepteurs, la voiture est utilisable sans clé traditionnelle, grâce à une carte d'accès pour l'ouverture des portes et pour sa conduite. Elle peut accueillir six personnes, avec une vitesse maximale d'environ 105 kilomètres par heure (65,24 miles par heure).
Le prix de départ de la voiture CAT Mini est d'environ $ 12,700 USD sur le marché indien.
Elle sera disponible partout dans le monde.
Afin de produire ce type de voitures destinées à une offre mondiale, Tata met en œuvre la technologie de la société luxembourgeoise Motor Development International (MDI)."
http://www.toonaripost.com/2012/01/green-world/air-powered-cars-become-a-reality-in-2012/
http://www.investmentu.com/2012/March/tata-motors-air-powered-cars.html
Tata Motors and Its Bet on Air Powered Cars
by Ryan Fitzwater, Investment U Research
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
If you aren’t familiar with Tata Motors (NYSE: TTM ), allow me to introduce them to you.
Founded in 1945, today Tata Motors is India’s biggest automobile manufacturer.
The company was originally created to manufacture locomotives, but in 1954, working with Daimler-Benz AG (a relationship that ended in1969), it created its first commercial vehicle and has been doing so ever since.
Since the first car rolled off the line in 1954, Tata has produced and sold over 6.5 million vehicles in India.
Headquartered in Mumbai, India’s most populated city, the company is ranked as eighteenth-largest motor vehicle manufacturer in the world according to volume, producing trucks, passenger cars, coach buses and vans.
While they have five assembly and manufacturing plants in India, they also have plants in the United Kingdom, Argentina, Thailand and South Africa.
And Tata is in the process of expanding production into other areas of the world.
AN EYE ON CHINA
In the last decade Tata pushed its acquisition peddle to the floor. The company took over Daewoo’s truck manufacturing unit in 2004 and gained controlling rights of bus and coach manufacturer Hispano Carrocera in 2005.
But its most renowned acquisition was of Jaguar Land Rover in 2008, purchased from Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F ) for $2.3 billion during the heart of the financial crises.
This acquisition has been a homerun for the company as of late, as Jaguar Land Rover is seeing strong sales volume growth due to increasing acceptance of its vehicles in developing countries like Russia, Brazil, India and China.
At the end of February, India equity research group Avendus estimated that Jaguar Land Rover’s sales volume will grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 15% from 2012-2014.
Seeing the potential for strong sales growth in emerging markets, it’s no surprise that on February 21, 2011, Tata announced that its Jaguar Land Rover unit had chosen a partner to assemble cars in China, the world’s largest auto market.
China levies higher taxes on imported vehicles to support domestic production, pushing automakers like Tata to manufacture vehicles locally.
Creating a plant in China will likely enable Tata to sell Jaguar Land Rover vehicles at competitive prices in area that has become the company’s largest market outside of Europe.
Tata announced that it will double its investments in is Jaguar Land Rover division to $2.37 billion a year to develop new technologies and products, and plans to spend up to $158 million on the proposed facility in China.
The move makes sense as demand has started to falter in the long-established strongholds of Europe and the United States, where recent economic conditions have slowed consumer demand.
Jaguar Land Rover sales make up a whopping 57% of Tata’s revenue if you look at it 2011 numbers. And Jaguar Land Rover sales were $15.4 billion in 2011, a 48% increase compared to 2010.
It’s no surprise that the company is also considering building a plant in Brazil, anotheremerging market.
A DIVERSE AUTOMOBILE PORTFOLIO
What makes Tata a truly interesting story is its diverse range of vehicle products.
From top luxury brands like Jaguars and Land Rovers, you’ll also find that Tata is the producer of the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano.
In January 2008, Tata unveiled the “People’s Car,” and it hit the streets in India in March 2009, priced around $2,100.
The idea was to provide the world’s cheapest car to India’s growing urban consumers.
Tata Motors and many analysts had big expectations for the Nano, but it has yet to live up to its hype.
The idea was that emerging urban consumers breaking out of poverty would look to the Nano as their first car to prosperity. But as noted above, the taste for the cheapest car on the market isn’t what emerging consumers want; the trend has been to purchase second hand or more expensive cars.
While Nano sales haven’t been stellar, I still applaud Tata’s visionary approach in trying to provide millions of families a car they can actually afford, which brings a great segue to Tata’s next potentially revolutionary product… air powered cars.
IS THIS A BUNCH OF HOT AIR?
It might seem like something out of a sci-fi novel, but I kid you not. Tata is gearing up to introduce the MiniCat, a car that runs completely on compressed air.
The MiniCat is lightweight, fiberglass bodied, six-seat mini-van. The car uses compressed air stored in fibre tanks to push the engine’s pistons and create movement.
And its designers state that it costs less than a tenth to operate the vehicle compared to cars that run on gasoline.
Guy Negre is an ex-Formula One engineer who is the brains behind the air car. Using a development by Luxembourg-based MDI, once Tata takes the MiniCat commercial, it will be the world’s cleanest car, with zero emissions.
It’s quite compelling, considering it will have a 125-mile range (almost double of the most advanced electric cars), and a top speed of 68 mph. The cost to refill the onboard air tanks would only be around $2.
And the vehicle will have to ability to recover up to 13% of the power it uses through a pneumatic brake power recovery system.
The recharging of the MiniCat air tank requires a connection to a 220-volt power source for about four hours. But if the market picks up momentum, a recharge could take place at new or modified petrol stations. With a compressed air pump it would take about two to three minutes to fill the cars tank.
And here’s my favorite detail about the MiniCat: Since the engine doesn’t use combustion to power the motor there is less residue, which means you only have to change the oil every 30,000 miles, and it only requires one quart of vegetable oil.
SOUNDS GOOD, BUT WHAT ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE?
Of course, you have to be skeptical of a market for cars that don’t operate on gasoline.
Electric, hydrogen and natural gas powered cars aren’t exactly driving all over U.S. roads right now. So why would the air powered MiniCat be any different?
For that answer you have to look at the difference between developed and developing countries, and their infrastructures.
Let’s just look at compressed natural gas (CNG). Currently the countries with the highest number of CNG vehicles are:
- Pakistan: 2.74 million CNG vehicles
- Iran: 1.95 million CNG vehicles
- Argentina: 1.90 million CNG vehicles
- Brazil: 1.66 million CNG vehicles
- India: 1.08 million CNG vehicles
If you look at the list above, you can see that all of these are developing countries and have over a million natural gas vehicles on their roads. While in a developed country like the United States, there are only about 112,000 natural gas vehicles.
It’s simple… build as you grow. And the emerging markets have the advantage.
Developing countries that are just starting to build up their infrastructures don’t have to worry about the costly transition of a complete overhaul of their automobile refueling stations.
Countries like India could build air compressed fueling stations as they create theirtransportation infrastructure, making the development of a strong air compressed vehicle system possible.
In the next decade, you might see air powered cars out-number gasoline powered cars in developing urban areas all over the world.
Toyota (NYSE: TM ) is already on board with the idea. The world’s largest auto manufacturer recently broke the compressed air-powered vehicle speed record, getting its Ku Rin all the way up to 80.3 mph.
With prices starting around $12,700, Tata hopes to launch the MiniCat near the end of 2012. From that point forward, we’ll see if Tata Motors can make history and change the face of automobile market in India and the rest of the world.
But lets put MiniCat story aside and take a look at some of Tata’s key metrics.
ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A DEAL
When you look at Tata’s financials, you see a lot of indicators that it’s currently a good “Buy.”
First its price-to-earnings is a low 8.72 compared to the industry average of 14.41.
The company’s return-on-equity is over 67%, destroying the industry average of 21%. And it sports strong operating margins of 9.89%; the industry’s is only 6.92%.
Recent quarterly revenue growth was 43.5% compared to the same quarter last year, and quarterly earnings were up 40.5% over that same period of time.
Tata’s annual revenue has grown at a vigorous pace, from $1.9 billion in 2002 to over $27 billion in 2011.
If you’re looking for a big dividend payer, Tata’s 1.58% dividend yield (slightly below the industry average) is nothing to get excited about. But we aren’t looking at Tata to collect income; we’re looking for strong earnings growth.
Forbes magazine is on the same page here. The magazine listed Tata in their “Top Value Picks in The BRICs” (Brazil, Russia, India and China), giving the company their strongest buy rating of five.
And if you want another sign to tell you Tata is something worth looking at, you’ll be glad to find names like Morgan Stanley, Blackrock Group, Citibank and Credit Suisse on the list of its top 10 holders.
Good investing,
Ryan Fitzwater
Investment U Research Team
Ryan Fitzwater works as a financial research associate for the Investment U team. He works closely with Marc Lichtenfeld, David Fessler and Alexander Green tracking and providing data analysis for their trading services. Ryan earned his degree from Towson University where he focused on history and found a passion for economics. He started working for Investment Uright out of college and has established a concentration in the technology, energy and financial sectors.
Traduction partielle :
"Si vous regardez la liste ci-dessus, vous pouvez voir que tous sont des pays en développement et ont plus d'un million de véhicules au gaz naturel sur leurs routes.
Alors que dans un pays développé comme les Etats-Unis, il y a seulement environ 112.000 véhicules au gaz naturel.
C'est simple ... construire avec sa propre croissance !
Et les marchés émergents ont cet avantage.
Les pays en développement qui commencent tout juste à construire leurs infrastructures n'ont pas à se soucier de la transition coûteuse d'une refonte complète de leurs stations de ravitaillement en carburant automobile."
Note de l'équipe "Air Pur des Vosges" :
En France, des garagistes ont parfaitement saisi l'enjeu.
Une bonne occasion, selon beaucoup, de se dégager de la tutelle - très peu rentable - des compagnies pétrolières qui leur dictent leurs conditions financières.
L'autre enjeu, surtout pour le pouvoir actuel, est de se refaire une santé pour la trésorerie actuelle,
... mais sans croissance, sans avenir et sur le dos des consommateurs.
Ce que les experts-comptables appellent de la cavalerie.
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India's Tata Motors Mini CAT Runs On Air
In August, Tata Motors of India is releasing a car that doesn’t use gas, diesel or electricity. The Tata Car runs on pure air. And according to Tata, the air car’s exhaust expels air that’s clean and cool enough to use in the internal air conditioning system. The air car uses compresses air to push its engine pistons to propell the car's movement.
Called a “Mini CAT”, the car will cost around $8,200.00 US dollars and will get at least twice the mileage of the most advanced electric car. Mini CAT's top speed is around 60 miles per hour while its range is about 185 miles.
The Mini CAT’s body is glued fiberglass, as opposed to welded metal, which makes it extremely lightweight. An access card starts the car, a microprocessor controls it’s electrical functions and a tiny radio transmitter transmits instructions to it’s electrical devices. The Mini CAT uses just one liter of vegetable oil in its tubular chassis, which must be changed every 30,000 miles or so.
Charging and running the Mini CAT costs about one tenth what a gasoline car costs. The car’s compressed air tank can be filled at home in three or four hours with its onboard compressor. India will have adapted air compressors at gas stations, which for about 100 rupees or $2.49 can fill your compressed air tank in two – three minutes
Due to its simple design and tubular chassis, the maintenance of these little cars is predicted to be very low. The concept is brilliant and the design simple. We'll watch Tata Motors Mini CAT air car in August to see if they really do give traditional electric and hybrid cars a run for their money. Bottom line; if Tata's Mini Cat runs, and runs well, it is on the right track to sustained and sustainable success.
http://www.examiner.com/green-life-in-los-angeles/india-s-tata-motors-mini-car-runs-on-air
Voir aussi l'article de Vicki Godal :
Green Earth Solution Network, keeping Malibu business and building lean, green and sustainable.
http://www.examiner.com/green-life-in-los-angeles/green-earth-solution-network-keeping-malibu-business-and-building-lean-green-and-sustainable
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On peut maintenant penser les rédacteurs des dizaines d'articles récemment publiés dans ce sens ont reçu des éléments tangibles de ces constructeurs.
En tout cas, les vidéos sont parfaitement claires.
Bonne journée à tous,
avec autant de soleil qu'aujourd'hui,
sur les stations de ski Vosgiennes !
- o O o -
Consultation mensuelle du blog "Air Pur des Vosges"
Octobre 2010 - Février 2012
Par ailleurs, à la demande de Monsieur Jean-Marie Cuny, Maire de la Commune de La Petite-Fosse, le site web "Air Pur des Vosges" actuellement en cours d'extension (à partir des articles du blog éponyme) sera rendu accessible au grand public, afin de mieux répondre à une demande croissante de nos chers lecteurs.
Pour joindre Monsieur Michel Escoms, conseiller municipal et porte-parole du projet de progrès social, voir à l'adresse qui reste la même :
https://picasaweb.google.com/117819151766518414190/AirPurDesVosgesVoletSocial2010AyantDroits#slideshow/5615824635915937794
http://www.tim.co.il/home/TIM_Staff.aspx
http://timnovate.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/a-car-that-runs-on-air-%E2%80%93-tata-pioneers-again/
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*
Prof. Shlomo Maital - Academic Director, Faculty
Maital is the Academic Director of TIM-Technion Institute of Management, Prof. (emeritus) Technion, and senior researcher at the S. Neaman Institute, Technion.
He has been a summer Visiting Professor for 20 years in MIT Sloan School of Management's Management of Technology M.Sc. program, teaching over 1,000 R&D engineers from 40 countries. He is the author co-author or editor of eight books, including Executive Economics (The Free Press), translated into seven languages, and the recent Managing New Product Development & Innovation (Elgar, 2001).
He is co-editor of a new journal, International Journal of Technology Management & Innovation Education. He has written guest editorials for Barron's, and writes regular columns for Globes (Israel's business daily) and Jerusalem Report (fortnightly).
His research currently focuses on profit-driven innovation -- how to combine creativity and discipline to achieve marketplace success.
**
Innovation Blog
A Car That Runs on Air – Tata Pioneers Again!
By Shlomo Maital
TATA Air Car
My friend and co-author Prof. D.V.R. Seshadri relayed this information to me, which has not yet resonated in major global news sources. Tata, global Indian conglomerate, which bought Jaguar/Land Rover and then built the world’s cheapest car, has now innovated a car that runs on air. Really! Here are the details.
India’s largest automaker, Tata Motors, is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy N’gre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets by August 2011. The Air Car, called the “MiniCAT” could cost around Rs.. 347,523/- ($8,177.00) in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels. The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 ($2.00) The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued, not welded, and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators,etc. There are no keys – just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees (US$ 1) per 100 Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where 80% of motorists drive at less than 60 Km. The car has a top speed of 105 Kmph.
Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 100 rupees (US$ 2), the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometers. As a viable alternative, the car carries a small compressor which can be connected to the mains (220V or 380V) and refill the tank in 3-4 hours. Due to the absence of combustion and, consequently, of residues, changing the oil (1 litre of vegetable oil) is necessary only every 50,000 Km). The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0-15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases or loss of power.
Tata Motors has struggled with its Nano car. But as an innovator it is not deterred. Look for the Air Car to enjoy greater success.
Les éléments étaient prêts en 2011, comme nous l'avions vu à Carros au cours de cet été-là, et comme cela a déjà été publiquement relaté par des contacts privilégiés de MDI.
D'autres priorités plus fortes ont suivi l'actualité du moment.
Nous laissons donc les entreprises concernées poursuivre leurs annonces à leur guise.
Prendre ses distances avec les bluecars, pourquoi pas.
RépondreSupprimerMais valider l’homologation des AirCars, voilà le bon sens en action.( 200 jours déjà de perdus)