Results of month-long, online opinion poll to determine public interest in French-made "Air Car"

December 8, 2004 -- As oil prices spike and then plunge between $40-50 a barrel, and gasoline prices in the United States continue to hover near the $2 a gallon mark, consumers are taking a serious look at alternatives that range from buying gasoline-electric hybrid cars at a production-straining pace to relocating closer to urban centers.

One of those options that may someday soon become available in North America is the MDI "Air Car", a six passenger, multi-use commuter vehicle being developed in France that runs entirely on compressed air (www.theaircar.com). Designed for use as a family car, mini-delivery van and taxi, the Air Car has an estimated range of 200-300 km (124-186 miles) on a charge of compressed air. It has a top speed of 110k/hr (68 mph) and takes approximately 4 hours for the compressed air tank to be recharged.

Offering range and performance comparable to the current generation of battery electric cars powered by either advanced lead-acid or nickel metal hydride batteries, the Air Car's built-in compressor can be powered by any electricity source, including renewables like wind, hydroelectric and solar power, while eliminating concerns over battery cycle life and cold weather limitations.

To determine the interest of its readers in the Air Car, EV World -- the Internet's leading web publication devoted to 'green', sustainable transportation and personal mobility technologies -- asked its readers during the month of November the following question:

"If it were available in your community, would you be interested in owning or leasing the MDI Air Car, which is powered by compressed air"?

1,059 readers participated in the online poll, and the vast majority -- seventy-one percent (71%) -- indicated, "Yes", they would be interested. Fifteen percent (15%) responded "No" and thirteen percent (13%) indicated that they weren't sure. (Percentages have been rounded off).

While the results of EV World (http://www.evworld.com) online reader polls are not considered scientific and reflect the personal views of readers who are interested in electric-drive and other alternative fuel vehicle technologies, they do suggest that among this group, there is serious interest in an alternative fuel vehicle powered by compressed air.

About EV World
Published weekly online since 1998, EV World features original content on a wide range of topics related to advanced, alternative fuel technologies from the latest in battery, hybrid-electric and fuel cell vehicles to renewable energy progress and policy. The publication has interviewed such notables as General Wesley Clark, former CIA director James Woolsey and "The Hype About Hydrogen" author Joseph Romm. Interviews are available in text and MP3 audio format. EV refers to "electric vehicle."

While premium content is available to subscribers only, much of the site, including daily news updates and archived interviews and feature stories, are available free to all readers. EV World conducts reader polls each month, with this month's question being, "Would you favor construction of more coal-fired power plants if they are required to make enough electricity to power millions of battery electric vehicles"?