Hello? Lone Gunmen?

Air-Powered Car Coming to U.S. in 2009 to 2010 at Sub-$18,000, Could Hit 1000-Mile Range (Popular Mechanics, HT: Instapundit):

Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) confirmed to PopularMechanics.com on Thursday that it expects to produce the worlds first air-powered car for the United States by late 2009 or early 2010. As the U.S. licensee for Luxembourg-based MDI, which developed the Air Car as a compression-based alternative to the internal combustion engine, ZPM has attained rights to build the first of several modular plants, which are likely to begin manufacturing in the Northeast and grow for regional production around the country, at a clip of up to 10,000 Air Cars per year.

But... but... surely the big, evil oil companies will "buy" the patents, and work to keep us dependent on oil, right? Like they did with the car that runs on water? I'm growing quite disappointed with these evil empires; they never used to let so much get out.