French car company Peugeot has unveiled an air powered hybrid
car, the Hybrid Air Concept, with the goal to have the car on
the road by 2016. The air engine has been in development for
more than two years with over 100 leading scientists and
engineers working on the air powered car in top secret
conditions at Peugeot’s research and development center at
Velizy, south of Paris. The air engine system works by using a
normal internal combustion engine, special hydraulics and an
adapted gearbox along with compressed air cylinders that store
and release energy. This allows the car to run on gas or air or
a combination of the two. Air power would be used below 43 mph.
The air compresses and decompresses as the car speeds up and
slows down. Peugeot predicts the cars could be achieving an
average of 73 mpg by 2020. What this air engine does is remove
the electric engine component from hybrid vehicles. This
eliminates the need for a large battery, which cuts down on
cost, weight, and negative environmental impact. Plu