Transport
From the compressed-air car that never quite arrived to the electric car in the garage.
This site began by following the compressed-air car, an idea that promised cheap, clean city driving and drew a lot of attention in the late 2000s. It never reached volume production. The cars that did change New Zealand driving turned out to be battery electric vehicles, charged mostly at home.
The Transport section covers both stories: what the air-car engineers were trying to do and why it stalled, and the practical side of electric driving today, including home charging, lighter materials and what comes after.
Transport: everything so far
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Transport
Air cars 2007–2016: CityCATs, AirPods and the production that never came
A look back at the decade when cars running on compressed air were shown at motor shows, promised for showrooms and covered by news outlets worldwide, and at why the electric car overtook them.
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Transport
MDI's active chamber: how the compressed-air engine was meant to work
A fresh explainer on the French air engine that drew worldwide attention in the 2000s: what the active chamber did, why 300-bar air holds so little energy, and why the cars never reached volume production.