Compressed Air Technology Research & Development

The MultiCAT Air Car

A MultiCAT on the Kennedy Plaza

This is an entirely new concept in urban public transport. The MultiCATs is in the form of a train on wheels, being made up of modules consisting of a driver module and several transport modules.

Each motorized module is fitted with a MDI Type-41 engine, with its own compressed air tanks and its own programmable steering (electric/electronic) system which precisely reproduces the steering movements of the driver module and rigorously follows its path.

Each transport module is remote-controlled by wire guidance from the driver module.

Acceleration and braking of the modules are coordinated with the driver module, and positioning sensors between the modules ensure great precision and the maintenance of the distance between each module.

The driver module contains all the controls of the transport module: door opening, lighting, heating, air conditioning and more.

The driver and transport modules are equipped with the technologies developed by MDI for their non-polluting cars:

• Glued aluminium chassis.
• Double-skin laminated bodywork with a polyurethane foam core.
• Single wire electrical circuit.
• The modules will be equipped with air suspension.

The Passenger MultiCATs:

A MultiCATs on the promenade des anglais, Nice

This is, at the same time, a mini-bus, a medium-sized bus, a normal bus and a large-capacity articulated-type bus. The MultiCATs is unbeatable for urban area transport.

• Zero pollution
• Adaptable to passenger traffic needs
• Economical to use
• Economical to buy
• No costly infrastructure required
• Easy handling in heavy traffic

The MultiCATs is free :

• A Municipal Authority could lease the MultiCATs and use them instead of their conventional buses for a daily cost lower than the daily fuel cost of the replaced buses.

Free transport for passengers :

• Totally Free Urban Transport for passengers can be envisaged, because the MultiCATs is very economical to run. The running costs could easily be covered by advertisements placed on the vehicle and the on-board displays.
  

The MultiCATs Transporter :

Based on the same operating principle and modules as the passenger MultiCATs, the MultiCATs transporter offers easy-to-use, medium-to-heavy utility vehicles.

The driver control module is a van of 1500 Kg (1.5 ton) - 10 m3 (353 ft3). In traffic, it is totally clean - "zero pollution" – as it operates on its compressed air reserves only. Then it can be used in non-urban areas with an “additional energy” for extremely low fuel consumption (less than 5 litres per 100 Km or 56 mpg) and minimum pollution.

A new concept of delivery round can thus be envisaged: the outskirts of an urban area are supplied by modules 3 and 4, the inner suburbs by module 2, and the centre with just the driver module.

• Zero pollution
• Adaptable to transport needs in terms of weights and volumes
• Economical to use
• Easy handling in any type of traffic

3300 Kg - 26 m3

5200 Kg - 42 m3

Water Travel on the Amazon

Eager to reduce costs and pollution, MDI is researching and designing alternative systems for refilling vehicles.

The aeolian system is based on windmills which compress air solely with wind energy. The system is completely pollution-free and involves only initial investment and maintenence costs.

The hydraulic system is based on the mooring of large boats on rivers to transform the river's flow into usable energy. As in the first case, the system directly compresses air and stores it. The boats don't move on the river, they remain moored on the bank. Pipes take the compressed air to the bank where cars can then come to refill. This is a completely pollution-free system and can potentially be used for another types of vehicles: boats.

In preliminary studies carried out in the city of Manaus in Brazil, it was made clear that river transport works very well with our system. Manaus is a city located in the amazon jungle which can only be reached by the Amazon river. Boats carry people and cargo up and down stream. MDI would locate a number of boats at the side of the river to compress air and boats equipped with the MDI engine would use this fuel to get back upstream to Manaus. We would thereby install a pollution-free and economical transport system on the River Amazon, a river which is beginning to suffer from the pollution discharged by petroleum-run boats.