5 Facts About Chrysler Electric Vehicles

In the 1990s, Chrysler was right alongside domestic automakers Ford and GM with electric drive research and development. Chrysler was test marketing an electric minivan, proving out fast-charge technology for electric cars, and as seriously involved in this field as any company. The merger with Daimler (DaimlerChrysler) seriously slowed, if not stopped, full function electric drive development efforts in the Chrysler camp as emphasis was placed elsewhere.

1. Chrysler Was First
While plenty of others are discussed as leaders in the electric drive field, it was Chrysler that introduced the very first modern electric vehicle to market in the U.S. – the Chrysler TEVan in 1992. These were built in extremely limited numbers and aimed at fleets wishing early involvement with electric vehicles. Why fleets? Because of extremely high battery and component costs plus low volume production, the vehicle’s price was in the range of $100,000 each … so nobody else could afford them.

2. EPIC Concept Electric Vehicle
Chrysler developed a smooth-looking electric concept van in 1992 called the Electric Power Inter-Urban Commuter, or EPIC for short. Strange acronyms like that seemed to be almost normal then (as evidenced by the circa-1990s Subaru BRAT – Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter). The EPIC concept was energized by nickel-iron batteries, although that changed to advanced lead-acid batteries in the limited production version of the EPIC that was marketed to fleets five years later.

3. ‘Destiny’ Program’s Four-Door Electric
Modifying existing platforms to accept electric drive was not the exclusive approach at Chrysler, Early on, the automaker strived to create a viable four-door mid-size electric vehicle through its ‘Destiny’ program. The vehicle in development made use of lightweight materials and an AC induction motor. Ultimately, it was determined that this would not prove to be a viable option and other approaches were followed.

4. GEM Neighborhood Electric Vehicle
Chrysler has sold more than 35,000 low-speed GEM neighborhood electric vehicles worldwide since the mid-1990s with more than 200 million zero-emission miles driven by customers. The GEM is suited for certain types of uses and is not a full-function vehicle. As a neighborhood electric vehicle, by law it is governed to a top speed of 25 mph and is allowed on streets with posted limits of 35 mph or less.

5. Renewed Electric Car Efforts
No longer part of DaimlerChrysler, efforts to develop and market electric cars have returned at Chrysler. The most high-profile example of this was the recent debut of three electric drive vehicle concepts – an all-electric Dodge sports car and range-extended electric versions of the Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler Town & Country minivan. The concepts use lithium-ion batteries. While no information is provided about sourcing of these vehicles’ high-tech components, photos have shown the use of UQM Technologies electric drive in the Dodge sports car concept. Chrysler does say that its efforts will move beyond the concept stage and the company will market one of these three vehicles beginning in 2010.

BMW to Introduce Carbon Fiber Electric Car to Market in 2013

If you’ve been wondering where BMW’s ‘Project i’ field study program is headed, the wait is over. BMW has now announced its intention to produce a radically different urban electric car in 2013, a departure from the more conventional MINI E and 1-Series ActiveE battery electrics this automaker has focused on in recent years. BMW’s four-passenger premium city car is dubbed the ‘Megacity Vehicle.’

Megacity is a term used to describe the largest population centers on earth. In these busy, crowded environments, many traditional vehicles are too large or simply too inefficient. The Megacity Vehicle is a purpose-built urban transport that’s designed and engineered from the pavement up for its intended mission. A pure EV, the Megacity Vehicle is actually the latest in a long history of electric drive vehicles from BMW. Forty years ago, BMW produced a small fleet of bright orange electric 1602 sedans to serve as marathon support cars for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Electric drive development continued over the next four decades with several notable concepts, then shifted into high gear with the current Project i program that launched in 2007.

The Megacity vehicle will break new ground on several fronts, not the least of which is body structure. While most lightweight cars tend to use unibody construction, the futuristic BMW will be body-on-frame. But this body-on-frame design is very unique, featuring an all-aluminum frame to carry the suspension, battery, and electric motor that will be mated to a carbon fiber body structure.

BMW’s design places the large lithium-ion battery pack mid-ship between the frame rails to maintain a low center of gravity. This location also protects the pack of 96 4-volt cells, which are wired in series and encased in an aluminum housing. Battery cells are from German supplier SB LiMotive. The rear frame section is a large cast aluminum structure that serves as a mount for the Megacity Vehicle’s 134 hp (100-kW) brushless electric traction motor. The rear-drive layout was in part chosen to maintain BMW’s legendary driving dynamics.

At half the weight of a steel body and 30 percent lighter than aluminum, the carbon fiber body is truly space-age construction. BMW has developed proprietary manufacturing techniques to make all the pieces come together and will produce the carbon fiber material through a joint venture with SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers at a new facility in Moses Lake, Washington. Besides being lighter, carbon fiber is also corrosion resistant and five times stronger than steel. We witnessed the results of initial crash tests of the body and frame structure while in Germany, and came away thinking it’s no wonder they make Formula 1 race cars out of carbon fiber. Simply, impact absorption and damping are impressive.

We will bring you more details on BMW’s ‘premium, clever, and clean’ Megacity Vehicle as this program progresses.

Audi e-gas Project Combines Hydrogen and CO2

One of the disadvantages of renewable energy sources like wind and solar is the difficulty in managing their fluctuating electrical output to coincide with power demand. Audi's e-gas project has a solution. Excess electrical power would be used to produce hydrogen by electrolysis and e-gas –synthetic methane – by the methanation of hydrogen.

This would provide hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles, e-gas for natural gas vehicles, and electricity for electric models. It would also allow storage of excess electrical capacity, when converted to e-gas, in the largest available energy-storage system: the natural gas network.

Audi is building an e-gas plant consisting of two main elements, an electrolyzer and a methanation unit The electrolyzer running on green electricity uses polymer electrolyte membranes to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Since there are still few fuel cell vehicles, initially the hydrogen will be used by the methanation unit. Here, hydrogen is combined with carbon dioxide to create e-gas. Methanation uses CO2 rather than discharging it into the atmosphere. Although e-gas is really synthetic natural gas or methane, Audi calls it e-gas.

After three years of research, Audi is now entering the practical phase. In January 2011, a lab facility with an output of 25 kilowatts was set up for testing purposes. In mid-2011, Audi and several partners will invest several tens of millions of euros to begin construction of an e-gas facility in Werlte, Germany. The Audi e-gas project can easily be replicated in any country with an existing natural-gas network.

Starting in 2013, Audi will begin series production of the Audi A3 TCNG with an engine using Audi's TFSI technology that can operate on e-gas, CNG, or conventional gasoline when neither alternative fuel is available.

Audi is also contributing to the construction of offshore North Sea wind turbines. During the project’s first phase, four large powerplants at an offshore wind park in the North Sea are being financed by Audi and a regional power supply company. Rated at 3.6 megawatts each, these four turbines can supply some 53 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually.

2012 Honda Civic a Model of Efficiency and Innovation

Ever since the first Honda Civic appeared in 1972, this top selling model has earned a reputation for economical, reliable driving and technical innovation. For example, in 1975 the first generation Civic featured Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion (CVCC) technology that allowed Honda to meet the increasingly stringent emission standards of the day without a catalytic converter.

Honda’s redesigned, ninth generation 2012 Civic continues this innovative tradition with improved fuel economy, alternative fuel and hybrid variants, and an array of high-tech features. They are powered by a choice of engines featuring Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (i-VTEC) technology. For the first time, the natural gas Civic GX variant – the only OEM-built, dedicated CNG passenger sedan built in the U.S. – is being sold nationwide. The Civic GX was previously marketed only in California, New York, Utah, and Oklahoma.

Most 2012 Civic models have Honda Eco Assist technology, already available in the Honda CR-Z and Insight hybrids. This is the first application of Eco Assist in gasoline-only powered cars. EcoAssist is a real-time feedback system designed to help drivers develop efficient driving habits When a green ECON button is pressed, the system controls certain vehicle functions to maximize fuel economy.

The Civic Hybrid uses the latest generation Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) gasoline-electric hybrid system. The big change here is that previous iterations used nickel-metal-hybrid (NiMH) batteries while the new one is powered by lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology, a first for Honda.

Honda has also shown its next-generation plug-in hybrid platform concept featuring a two-motor hybrid system. This system can operate in three modes – all-electric, gasoline-electric hybrid, and a unique engine direct-drive mode. In the concept’s all-electric mode, the vehicle is powered by a 6 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and 120 kilowatt electric motor to provide an all-electric range of 10 to 15 miles and a top speed of 62 mph. A 2.0-liter, i-VTEC four-cylinder, Atkinson cycle engine mated to an electric continuously variable transmission (E-CVT) is paired with the electric motor for the hybrid mode. The gasoline engine alone drives the front wheels for efficient high-speed, long-distance cruising in the direct-drive mode.

Natural Gas Vehicle Activities Signal NGV Choices Ahead

Honda, still the only automaker to offer a factory-built, compressed natural gas (CNG) passenger vehicle in the U.S., plans to promote its 2012 Civic Natural Gas model more aggressively. Besides changing its model designation from the previous ‘Honda Civic GX’ to highlight its use of CNG, American Honda has selected environmental consulting firm Gladstein, Neandross & Associates to help market it in 19 states in the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic plus the District of Columbia. The Honda Civic Natural Gas is currently available in 33 states and will be offered in five additional states by the end of the 2011.

Newly redesigned for 2012, the CNG-version uses the same 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine as the Civic sedan and coupe, but with unique fuel injectors and intake exhaust valves for operating on natural gas. Stronger connecting rods and special pistons are used to handle the higher 12.7:1 (versus the gasoline variant’s10.6:1) compression ratio. A five-speed automatic transmission is standard. Civic Natural Gas models are produced at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana.

The Civic Natural Gas has an estimated fuel economy rating of 27 city/38 highway mpg on a gasoline-gallon equivalency basis. Compared to the 2011 model, city fuel economy is improved by 12.5 percent and highway fuel economy is up by 5.5 percent. Better fuel economy is achieved partly through aerodynamic features like flat underbody construction and strakes in front of the tires. The 3600 psi, aluminum-lined composite CNG fuel tank located between the rear wheels carries the equivalent of 7.8 gallons of gasoline.

The Civic Natural Gas engine is the cleanest internal-combustion vehicle certified by the EPA. California rates it as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV), which is achieved by meeting SULEV standards and maintaining emissions durability for at least 150,000 miles or 15 years. Purchase incentives currently pending under legislation HR 1380 (the NAT GAS Act) would make the Civic Natural Gas more affordable than its as-yet unannounced base price, which is expected to be in the $26,000 range.

Ford says half of all its vehicles will be capable of running on alternative fuels, especially natural gas, by 2012. Of course these are commercial vehicles like Transit Connect and E-Series vans, E-Series stripped chassis and cutaways, E-Series wagons, F-Series Super Duty trucks, F-350 through F-750 Super Duty chassis cabs, and F53/F59 stripped chassis. Ford does not build natural gas vehicles, but rather has developed and tested a CNG/LPG Gaseous Engine Prep Package to be installed by third party upfitters that handle the CNG/LPG tank and hardware installations.

General Motors, which began selling vehicles with natural gas engines to U.S. fleet buyers last year, has entered into an agreement with Westport Innovations to bolster its place in the natural gas vehicle field. Both GM and Westport will bring their extensive expertise in developing CNG engine control, emissions, and performance strategies.

Westport will open a new Technical Center in Michigan to develop technologies for CNG vehicles aimed at business, government fleets, and personal use. This includes applying hybridization, smaller-displacement with turbocharging, direct injection, and other fuel-saving technologies now used in gasoline and diesel engines.

Chrysler Group plans to start selling CNG vehicles by 2017. Chrysler, partly own by Fiat SpA, is in an ideal position to develop and market NGVs. Fiat is a CNG market leader in Europe with 80 percent of the market for methane gas-powered cars and 55 percent of the light truck market. For example, Chrysler is looking at the possibility of adding CNG powered engines to its Ram truck line.

Electric Commercial Trucks are Growing in Popularity

Large electric delivery trucks were quite popular in the early days of the automobile. Indeed, Walker built them well into the 1930s. Today, several manufacturers are embarking on building medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks in the U.S. Besides the advantages of early electric trucks like quiet operation and durability, there are additional reasons that truck builders see a market for electric delivery trucks. These include high fuel prices, concerns about climate change, and the advent of new battery technologies that give electric trucks the range they lacked in the past.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. has joined with Enova Systems to build an all-electric chassis that could be used for the MT-45 walk-in vans used by FedEx and UPS, among other applications. The electric vans would use Enova's 90 and 120 kW electric drive systems, have maximum payloads of 10,000 pounds, and be available to fleet customers as early as 2010. Production could be at Freightliner plants in Gaffney, South Carolina and Enova’s facility in Torrance, California.

Navistar will be building an all-electric urban truck in Elkhart, Indiana, great news for the economically depressed city that’s home to many RV and motorhome manufacturers. To speed up development, Navistar has entered into a joint venture with Modec, a company that already builds electric trucks in Coventry, England used by FedEx, UPS, and Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain. The joint venture has received $39 million from the U.S. Stimulus Plan and plans to produce and sell electric Class 2 and 3 commercial vehicles in North, Central, and South America with first deliveries expected in 2010.

Smith Electric Vehicles is already building its Newton electric delivery truck in a hanger at the Kansas City International Airport, albeit in low volume. Smith has yet to make a decision on a larger permanent factory, although several locations are vying for the facility. The Newton, which at 16,000 pounds is the largest commercially available battery electric-powered truck, has been delivered to PG&E, Coca-Cola, Staples, Frito-Lay, AT&T, and Kansas City Power & Light. The truck is powered by Valence lithium-ion batteries and a 120 kW motor that provides a range of over 100 miles on a single charge.

Ford plans to launch its Transit Connect battery electric vehicle in mid-2010. Essentially the Smith Ampere built in the U.K., it uses a lithium-ion/iron phosphate battery pack and a 50 kW electric motor that replaces the Transit Connect’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, providing a range of about 100 miles and a top speed of 70 mph.

Balqon Corp., which builds off-highway yard tractors and drayage vehicles in Harbor City, California, is now offering its Mule M150 for short-haul on-highway routes in inner cities, port facilities, and airports. The Mule M150 is equipped with Balqon’s heavy-duty electric drive system that integrates a 300 horsepower traction motor and lithium-ion batteries. The Mule M150 can carry a maximum load of 7 tons and is able to travel at a speed of up to 55 mph.

Several other smaller companies are either planning to manufacture, or are already manufacturing and marketing, electric delivery trucks. Electric Vehicles International, a California company that has built electric vehicles in Mexico for some 20 years, is offering its electric Class 3-6 eviLightTruck commercial trucks, which will be built in Stockton, California. Electrorides’s ZeroTruck is an Isuzu N Series Class 4 truck converted to electric power by Boshart Engineering in Ontario, California. Boshart has already been involved in building the Phoenix SUT electric pickup, an electrified Ssangyong pickup sourced from Korea. Boulder Electric Vehicle plans to build electric vans and trucks in Boulder, Colorado, with electric Delivery Truck and Cargo Van/Work Utility Vehicle models expected to be available in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Fuel Economy is Key to the Automobile’s Future

There’s a great new commercial, called ‘Imported from Detroit,’ that debuted at the Super Bowl. It’s about re-birth of one of the toughest cities in America. It’s about American innovation. It’s about American automakers leading, not following. It’s an inspiring piece of advertisement.

And thanks to tougher pollution and fuel economy standards, American automakers are not just making world beating, competitive products, they are doing fuel economy. And they are doing it well: Ford and GM have cars that get 40 mpg and are on the cutting edge on electric vehicles. And just in time. With gasoline prices pushing $4/gallon, consumers are flocking to fuel-efficient cars, shunning SUVs, and snatching up hybrids.

High, volatile oil prices killed Detroit’s market share during the previous three oil shocks during the 70’s, 80’s, and in 2008. Detroit has learned a hard lesson. Fuel efficiency is not a virtue; it’s a matter of survival.

Thanks to California, the 2007 Congress, the Supreme Court, President Bush, and President Obama, we have tougher pollution and fuel economy standards in place. And because of their leadership, Detroit is poised to lead, not follow, the world’s auto industry.

The biggest winners from stronger pollution and fuel economy standards? Perhaps ironically, Detroit. GM and Ford not only have more competitive small cars, but hot-selling crossovers such as the Chevrolet Equinox and Ford Edge, and cutting edge electric vehicles like the GM Volt and the Ford Focus EV.

The job is not finished, of course. California and President Obama have the opportunity to ensure Detroit remains on its path to rebirth by partnering on the next round of the National Program. Tough, but achievable, pollution and fuel economy standards that deliver 60 mpg by 2025 are what’s necessary to ensure Detroit is an innovator and global leader on clean cars.

60 mpg. Do it to for national security. Do it to lead the world. Do it for our future.

ZEO Electric Car Concept: The Next Dodge Charger

The muscle cars that fueled automotive passion in the 1960s were wildly popular because high performance is both fun and addicting. What if a car company could capture those same emotions and sensations in a package that makes no excuses for its environmental impact ... a vehicle that doesn't sacrifice performance for green credentials that literally screams, "drive me?" Meet Chrysler's latest concept vehicle, the Dodge ZEO.

ZEO stands for Zero Emissions Operation. Where premium gasoline once flowed, electrons now deliver ample power. That's right, ZEO is a pure electric car, or more accurately an electric performance car. ZEO delivers clean electric performance on par with the venerable Chrysler HEMI V-8. Acceleration is well within the realm of a true muscle car: 0-60 mph from a standing start happens in less than six seconds.

This is possible because the ZEO is propelled by a 200 kilowatt electric motor that supplies 268 horsepower to the rear wheels. The advanced propulsion system is fed by a 64 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that Chrysler says will offer a range in excess of 250 miles. The batteries are located very low in the chassis and below the cabin floor for a low center of gravity. Although the battery pack is large, ZEO manages to weigh in at just 2,650 pounds, thus enhancing overall performance and handling.

"The Dodge ZEO concept is designed to break the paradigm of what an electric car should look like," says Bill Zheng, Dodge ZEO principal exterior designer. "An electric car can be as expressive as any gasoline powered vehicle. The Dodge ZEO concept proves that point ... and then some."

Dodge is calling the ZEO a 2+2 sport wagon. The key word here is "sport" because very little about ZEO evokes the image of a traditional station wagon. Yes, the cabin extends back to the rear bumper with cargo space behind two rear buckets, but there is certainly nothing stodgy about this wagon. Its stance is pure muscle car, with huge 23 inch alloy wheels filling the exaggerated wheel arches and wide, rounded fender lines. ZEO is a very "fast" shape. The windshield, for example, arches up at an extreme rake from the long and expressive hood, extending all the way back over the passenger compartment to the "C" pillar. The cabin tucks inward from the widest portion at the front door line to form a sculpted teardrop form at the ZEO's tail.

Fortunately, while the ZEO is very expressive, it hasn't lost the Dodge brand character. Cues like the Dodge ram head badges and crosshair grille treatment, which is illuminated from behind, make it easily recognizable as a Mopar. Both front and rear lamps are treated as separate sculptural forms that add ,to the futuristic look of the car.

Zheng and his team took an unconventional approach with the door configuration. Rather than hinging from the front or rear, the ZEO's doors swing up out of the way in a "scissor" fashion to provide unobstructed access to the interior. Once these scissor doors are open, the interior quickly becomes the center of attention. Lou Gasevski, principal interior designer of the Dodge ZEO concept, describes the interior as "an example of designing for people who are used to a dynamic lifestyle and who are surrounded with information and virtual friends at all times." Interior lines are bold, yet minimal. Trimmed in Super White leather with dark gray accents, the ZEO's interior hints at a European flair. The designers were after an integrated look and treated the interior as a single piece of sculpture, accomplished by blending individual components into a unified whole.

To create the character of a true 2+2, a dramatic center console slopes downward at an angle that extends all the way past the rear bucket seats. The ZEO's steering wheel, column, and instrument panel are a single freestanding design element that adjusts as one unit. The wheel is open, with two closely spaced spokes allowing 80 percent of the rim uncluttered. A thin blue acrylic viewing screen, which is positioned directly in the driver's line of sight through the open steering wheel, supplies critical driving information.

Clearly, Chrysler designer's had the Sixties muscle car playbook in mind when they concocted the ZEO. A lightweight platform with an oversized motor driving the rear wheels is a sure recipe for fun. Only this time around, it's good clean fun.

Want to know more about electric cars? Be sure to check out these 

Trends: Air Powered Cars

As odd as it sounds, running a car on air is a reality. Proof of concept and prototype compressed air vehicles - commonly referred to as "air cars" - have been running around for a number of years.

How could it be possible to run on air? Consider the physical work that compressed air already does to make our everyday lives easier. Mechanics rely on air-driven pneumatic tools every day to turn nuts and bolts with authority in garages around the world. Pneumatic tools are powerful, even at a relatively low pounds per-square-inch (psi) pressure setting. They can free rusted-on lug nuts and separate metal from metal through an air hammer or pneumatic chisel. Crank the pressure up and compressed air is a force to be reckoned with, providing enough power to even propel a wheel driven car.

Perhaps that was the inspiration that led former Renault F1 mechanic Guy Negre of Motor Development International (MDI) to pursue compressed air propulsion for the auto industry. And what could be more environmentally friendly than a car with atmospheric air as its only exhaust emission? There's no combustion whatsoever. Power comes from compressed air sourced from special high-pressure compressors run by electricity from the grid.

MDI's design uses a pair of air driven pistons, one large and one small, to turn a crankshaft that produces a rotational force. The technology can potentially be paired in two, four, or six cylinder engine configurations and the design is quite inventive. Since there is no combustion and the only engine heat comes from friction, the engine can be made primarily from lightweight aluminum.

For those who want the technical details, here's the scoop: In MDI's air engine, the small piston has a conventional connecting rod for turning the crankshaft, while its neighboring larger piston utilizes an innovative rocker arm configuration with the connecting rod. This design allows the large piston to pause at top-dead-center for 70 degrees of crankshaft rotation while metered air pressure builds in a prechamber as the small piston keeps the crank turning during its power stroke. The large piston then turns the crankshaft with greater power as the pair combine to produce power over 270 degrees of crankshaft rotation. Got that all?

Prototype air cars are minimalist transportation that typically exhibit a top speed of about 70 mph and a range of approximately 125 miles on flat roads before requiring a refill. Compressed air is stored at 300 bar (4351 psi) in carbon fiber tanks mounted longitudinally beneath the vehicle floor. Refilling can be accomplished in a matter of minutes at a special high-pressure pump or in about four hours via a home refueling appliance or even an on-board compressor.

In 2007, Tata Motors licensed the rights from MDI for $28 million to build and sell Tata-branded air cars in India. Tata has not confirmed if it will build one of the MDI prototype cars or, more likely, install the MDI technology in one of its existing cars like the light weight Nano (shown here). The Nano is Tata's $2,500 "scooter replacement" people's car that recently made headlines. While sought after in developing countries, this inexpensive car clearly won't meet federal emissions and safety requirements in the U.S. and other regulated markets around the world. Still, the addition of air power to an already inexpensive and efficient model would be quite appealing in the Indian market and others where fundamental transportation is in demand, and air pollution could be a serious challenge as exponentially greater numbers of vehicles make their way to the highway.

In the United States, a company called Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) has licensed the rights to produce the MDI design in a U.S. factory. Based in New Platz, New York, ZPM has an ambitious goal of rolling out a North American compressed air vehicle for $18,000 by 2010. The company most recently unveiled MDI's newest car at the Automotive X-Prize exhibit at the New York Auto Show. ZPM and MDI will field two entries - the U.S. production six seat, four door prototype in the mainstream class, and the three seat, two door economy-utility model in the alternative class.

Air cars haven't escaped the attention of mainstream U.S. automakers, too. For example, Ford has worked with an engineering team at UCLA to develop an air hybrid. In this application, the air hybrid builds air pressure using the engine as a pump while shut down during deceleration, and then utilizes the recaptured energy to launch the vehicle from a stop. Special electrohydraulic actuators in the valvetrain make the transition possible.

Air powered cars are not a new idea, and in fact the concept actually predates a viable internal combustion engine. In his book, "Paris in the 21st Century," Jules Verne foresaw a transportation system utilizing compressed air. Now, modern visionaries are striving to make that dream come true with the air car.