As the holidays wind down, and things return to something close to normal, I’m glad to have a little more time to myself once again to resume work on the Addict, and give this site the attention it deserves. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve communicated with so many great people all over the world who share my interest in this technology, as well as energy security and independence.

2008 was truly a difficult year. I can tell you, at least from a New Yorker’s point of view, things are pretty scary out there. But we enter 2009 with hopes of a better economy, peace around the world, and real solutions.

Thankfully, there are at least a few things to look forward to just over the horizon. Here in the States a new Administration is about to take over. Hopes are high that intelligent new policies and attitudes can get us through in one piece. I’m doing my best to stay optimistic.

Now that I’ve had a few days to reflect on the new year, I thought I’d try to look ahead and share with you a few things that I believe will be very important relating to the vehicles being developed by MDI.

I am convinced the most significant development is the participation of MDI/ZPM in the Progressive Automotive X Prize this fall. As I’ve told you before, I think this is arguably the most significant factor in determining the future viability of the Compressed Air Vehicle. There will certainly be millions of people all around the world watching this competition very closely, with very high expectations.

We all want to know what the car of the future will look like. We want to know what it can do, how much it will cost, and how it will get us from point A to point B, while (hopefully) reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. The X Prize competition will provide the world’s stage to display some of the most innovative automotive technology we have ever seen, developed by professionals and garage tinkerers alike. Every team competing that can enter a 100+mpg vehicle deserves credit and our respect for their accomplishments.

As of today, there are about 22 teams officially competing with many others who have filed letters of intent. Although I am expecting to see dozens of impressive vehicles, in my opinion, only a handful really have the potential to actually take home any of the $10 million prize money.

It’s certainly very difficult to design and develop a 100+mpg vehicle. All competing teams will have to prove their vehicles viability on the road. But the competition is more then that. Teams are also expected to present business models explaining how they propose to bring their vehicles to the market. Realistically, very few of these teams will have any chance of doing so. Unfortunately, even the best invention needs funding and other resources to deliver it into the hands of the consumer.

This is one of the reasons I believe that MDI/ZPM have a real shot at winning or placing respectably in this competition. They’ve had over 15 years to develop this technology, and have entered into a number of business agreements with companies such as TATA and Air France that certainly give them a distinct advantage. They have also developed a very ambitious, but plausible, business model to bring them to market worldwide.

And that’s why this competition is so critical to the future of the MDI Air Car. I’m certain entering a vehicle or two will be quite an investment. But assuming their cars live up to the specs they’ve provided, the potential for free advertising all over the world will be a once in a life time opportunity. And if the cars do not live up to the company specs, it very well could be a once in a lifetime embarrassment. They must appreciate this, and one could reasonably conclude this competition will be the moment of truth for these vehicles.

We must also take into account the fact that there is certainly no shortage of skepticism about using compressed air to propel a car. We have seen many arguments presented doubting that this could be a viable method of propulsion. As I’ve told you before, I’m skeptical myself. But I want them to succeed. I believe that if these Air Cars can be proved to be reliable modes of transportation, they could potentially fill a huge gap in the world wide market for affordable, clean cars, built locally to help support the communities in which they are built. We’ve all heard so much about these fantastic all electric and hybrid cars that are supposedly about to arrive any day now. Meanwhile, there are very few affordable and practical options available to the average consumer. And even when they do become widely available, they will still remain outside the means of most people around the world. The vehicles being developed by MDI just might fill that gap, at least for the 5 to 10 years before battery and mainstream automotive technology catches up to our needs.

The Progressive Automotive X Prize will be the biggest opportunity imaginable for MDI to prove without any question that these cars can acheive the range and performance that we’ve been reading about in recent years. As far back as 2000, one can find articles on-line containing statements that production of these vehicles was just around the corner, and yet this has not occurred to date. This is one of the most common criticisms you can find of MDI. And to be honest with you, there’s a lot I don’t know about these past promises, and why they did not begin production. I have my own theories, but the bottom line is, a lot of people want to see some real proof. I’d also like to see some test track data, which would reflect performance under much more realistic road conditions. So far we have seen interesting numbers, but as far as I can tell only from bench testing and calculations.

Hopefully, a successful run in the X Prize will satisfy some if not most of the critics. It will introduce these companies and their vehicles to the world, and will be a huge relief and encouragement to those of us who have been following their progress. The race will be covered heavily, especially by the media here in the States.

Looking forward to 2009, I’d like to see these companies become much more engaged with the public. I’d really like to see the English version of the MDI web site catch up with the French version. And if I were advising MDI, I would recommend they at least add an in depth FAQ section to their websites. This would be a very useful and effective way to clarify how this technology works for people interested in finding definitive answers to their questions. Once it’s up on the site, it would not require very much additional work except to update it as future developments occur. As we have all seen, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation on the Internet about this technology. And in my own personal opinion its not totally surprising. I think MDI can do a better job with communicating with the public going forward as production nears. In fairness to them, they’re engineers. And they’ve been hard at work doing what engineers do, which is developing products that work the way they’re supposed to. But if you’re going to introduce such an innovative new technology, it would be wise to educate your target audience as much as possible beforehand, and to effectively debunk the most common misconceptions that are still out there.

I’m hoping MDI uses the X Prize competition as a forum for doing so. It’s going to be a tremendous opportunity. If all goes well, Shiva Vencat of ZPM says they should begin production in NY late 2010 or early 2011. If and when this happens, my long term goal is to give you a close up account of the developments here. ZPM is based in New Paltz, NY, which is a great little town 40 minutes drive from where I grew up. I’m very interested to see how this company might impact the local community, and I’m hoping to report to you some positive developments there which may serve as a window to the future for many communities around the country.

Let’s hope 2009 is the year it all comes together!

~joe