Remember the Air Car that we wrote about a week ago? It’s beginning production in India soon, but it looks like it might make it Stateside as early as 2009.

Zero Pollution Motors has said that it expects to produce the world’s first compressed air-powered car for the US by late 2009 or early 2010. The company plans to produce 10,000 Air Cars per year.

The first of the models to be produced in the US will have six seats, a top speed of 96 mph, and can travel as far as 1000 miles on one tank of air. It is expected to cost $17,800.

The Air Car concept is very cool, but so far it can’t compete with the 6 and 8 cylinder gas-guzzlers we are all used to driving. It will take some more time before compressed air engines catch on, but we love to see this kind of innovation. More and more technologies are being developed to replace conventional fuel, and this is one that has potential.

Tata Motors, India’s largest automaker, will soon start production of the world’s first commercial compressed air-powered car. It estimates that 6,000 of these cars will be made by the end of the year.

The Air Car, as it is cleverly named, was developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, CEO of Moteur Developpement International. It requires no gasoline at all, using compressed air to power its engine’s pistons.

Hold on to your hats, folks! The CityCat model will reach a top speed of 68mph! However, it will have a driving range of 125 miles on a full tank of air and such a trip is estimated to only cost about $2, making it perfect for city driving. If there isn’t a compressor station nearby, you can also plug the Air Car into an outlet and let its built-in compressor fill it up for you in about 4 hours.

Although it is pretty slow, running the Air Car is very cheap and very green. For those that have no business on the freeway, this car will be a perfect replacement for today’s gas guzzlers.

[Via Tech.co.uk]