Coming soon? OneCAT – The world’s first car to run on compressed air

Nope, it’s not a hoax; environmentally-friendly vehicles that run on little more than compressed air really do exist and may imminently enter mass production. The OneCAT concept (CAT stands for Compressed Air Technology, by the way) is the brainchild of ex-Formula One and aeronautical engineer Guy Negre, who created his first compressed air engine back in 1996. Almost two decades and several prototypes later, the fruits of Negre’s labour may be about to roll off the production lines of India’s largest budget car producer Tata. The OneCAT’s specifications sound convincing enough. A fibreglass body gives this five-seater car a weight of just 350Kg, including the large and robust carbon-fibre tanks subtly integrated into the car’s design. Using a standard air compressor such as those found at petrol stations these tanks can be filled in just three minutes; alternatively the OneCAT’s inbuilt compressor will do it once connected to a mains electricity supply although this way will take four hours. With full air tanks the OneCAT has a range of approximately 150km (about 90 miles) and a notional top speed of 70 miles per hour. Its designers reckon that on long journeys the OneCAT’s performance equates to around 120 miles per gallon. So, we have a cheap, reliable and easily refuelled car that costs virtually nothing to run and creates no harmful emissions. Sound too good to be true? You’re right. At the moment, the OneCAT compressed air car is destined exclusively for the Indian market only.