New Peugeot hybrid doesn't need a battery and 'is greener than its electric rivals'
- The Peugeot 2008 Hybrid Air runs on nothing more than air
- Current 'green' vehicles combine electric engines with traditional ones
- The car has a conventional engine linked to hydraulic air motor and pump
- It can provide zero-emissions air power for lower-speed driving in cities
- The sports utility vehicle will available from 2016 for around £16,000
For decades, car makers have been searching for the perfect environmentally friendly fuel.
Now, one firm seems to have found the answer – a car that can run on nothing more than air.
The Peugeot 2008 Hybrid Air promises to be more ecologically sound than the current breed of ‘green’ vehicles that combine electric engines with traditional ones.
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Under the bonnet: This diagram shows how the new hybrid car works. While the it is moving, air is pumped into a cylinder using surplus energy from the petrol engine, plus energy from the wheels and heat from the brakes
Clean driving: The Peugeot 2008 Hybrid Air has a conventional petrol engine linked to a hydraulic air motor and pump, allowing it to run on air, petrol, or a combination of the two - depending on driving conditions
Behind the wheel: A stripped-back look at the new hybrid. Motorists will be able to use zero-emissions air power for lower-speed driving. The feature is activated automatically when the car is doing under 43mph
It has a conventional petrol engine linked to a hydraulic air motor and pump.
While the car is moving, air is pumped into a cylinder – just like a balloon being inflated – using surplus energy from the petrol engine, plus energy from the wheels and heat from the brakes.
The air is then released to drive the hydraulic motor – allowing the car to run on air, petrol, or a combination of the two.
Motorists will be able to use zero-emissions air power for lower-speed driving in cities. The feature is activated automatically when the car is doing under 43mph.
When accelerating or climbing hills, combined or ‘hybrid’ mode is preferable as the vehicle receives power from both engines. And for long-distance cruising, traditional petrol power is best.
Current hybrids – such as the popular Toyota Prius – rely on heavy and expensive batteries that are difficult to dispose of, causing their own environmental problems. They can also go flat and leave the driver stranded.
In contrast, the new Peugeot will need no batteries. Instead, it will replenish itself automatically by re-using energy that is ‘lost’ when slowing down and braking.
No battery required: This prototype shows motorists makes up the environmentally friendly car. Current hybrids rely on heavy and expensive batteries that are difficult to dispose of - but the Peugeot doesn't need one
A look inside: Ray Massey takes a spin in the new hybrid, revealing what the car's interior currently looks like. The sports utility vehicle will be available from 2016 for around £16,000
The sports utility vehicle, available from 2016 for around £16,000, will be the first of a new generation of Peugeots and Citroens running – in part at least – on air.
It currently manages around 94miles per gallon but engineers say that by 2020, future Peugeots and Citroens could average 117mpg.
Around 100 elite scientists have spent the past three years working on the air-powered car in top-secret conditions at Peugeot’s research and development centre at Velizy, just south of Paris.
A spokesman for manufacturer PSA Peugeot-Citroen said: ‘We are not talking about weird and wacky machines. These are going to be in everyday cars.’
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