The car that runs on AIR: Peugeot reveals plans for hybrid set to hit the streets next year

Peugeot Citroen invents technology for air car ready for the market by 2016

'Hybrid Air' engine system runs on petrol and air, instead of electricity

Company predicts 'Hybrid Air' to achieve 117 miles per gallon by 2020



Peugeot has revealed plans to begin selling the first air powered car next year.

Based on a Peugeot 208, it will combine a normal engine with a radical new system that runs on compressed air.

The firm says the car could reduce petrol bills by 80% when driven in cities.



Saving the planet: The Hybrid Air technology could allow a car the size of a Citroën C3 or Peugeot 208 to emit as little as 69g/km of CO2

The system combines a gasoline engine with an air engine which is used at speeds under 70mph

HOW IT WORKS

The 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 enables it to run on petrol or air, or a combination of the two. Air power would be used solely for city use, automatically activated below 43mph and available for ‘60 to 80 per cent of the time in city driving’.



The 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 enables it to run on petrol or air, or a combination of the two.

Air power would be used solely for city use, automatically activated below 43mph and available for ‘60 to 80 per cent of the time in city driving’. By 2020, the cars could be achieving an average of 117 miles a gallon, the company predicts.

The air compression system can re-use all the energy normally lost when slowing down and braking. The motor and a pump are in the engine bay, fed by a compressed air tank underneath the car, running parallel to the exhaust.

The revolutionary new ‘Hybrid Air’ engine system – the first to combine petrol with compressed air – is a breakthrough for hybrid cars because expensive batteries will no longer be needed.



Lift-off: The air power will be automatically activated below 43mph and can be used for up to 80 per cent of driving time in urban areas

AIR CAR SPECS

Spacious interior: Allows for full-sized passenger compartment without surrendering boot volume.

Driving comfort and road handling: Hybrid Air promises to deliver nimble response with the boost effect as well as first-class road handling thanks to its automatic transmission.

Worldwide potential: The technology is viable in all markets, making it possible for energy efficient cards in all types of climate and regardless of the state of the roads.

Boot: No space for a spare tyre once the Hybrid Air motor is installed.

Cars fitted with Hybrid Air will be about £1,000 cheaper to buy than current hybrid models.

For more than two years, 100 elite scientists and engineers have been working on the air-powered car in top-secret conditions at Peugeot’s research and development centre at Velizy, just south of Paris.

Hybrid Air is the centrepiece of Peugeot chief executive Philippe Varin’s efforts to restore the fortunes of the historic car maker.

The revolutionary system will be able to be installed on any normal family car without altering its external shape or size or reducing the boot size, provided the spare wheel is not stored there. From the outside, an air-powered car will look identical to a conventional vehicle.

A spokesman said: ‘We are not talking about weird and wacky machines. These are going to be in everyday cars.’

Peugeot, which unveiled its prototype yesterday, envisages introducing it in smaller models such as the 208 at first.



Running on air: The Peugeot 208 is one model that may use the air engine technology in future

The company said that as well as being greener and cheaper to run, the air system created no extra dangers in a collision.

Motorists never run the risk of running out of compressed air late at night on a deserted country road because the car will be fitted with a sophisticated artificial brain that ensures it replenishes itself automatically.

The air compresses and decompresses of its own accord as the car speeds up and slows down.

The Peugeot company was founded in 1810 and the family still has a controlling stake. Thierry Peugeot drafted in Varin - widely hailed in the UK for rescuing Corus, the former British Steel, from the brink of ruin - in 2009.

Varin’s attempts to revive the marque have been hit by the euro meltdown and militant French unions.

a compressed air cylinder next to the exhaust of the new car

Worldwide sales for 2012 were down 8.8per cent to 2.82m.

The company has been hindered in efforts to improve its performance by France’s rigid labour laws. It has also been plagued by violent industrial action at its Aulnay plant near Paris which is due to close next year with the loss of thousands of jobs.

It is embroiled in controversy with rival European car makers over a French state guarantee given to its financing arm last year.