French automaker Peugeot plans to release the first car that uses compressed air to increase fuel efficiency by 2015, which would make hybrid cars that run on batteries a thing of the past.
By combining a standard engine with the ’Hybrid Air’ system, Peugeot believes that it could reduce consumers’ gas bills by 80 percent when driven in cities, the Daily Mail reported.
’We are not talking about weird and wacky machines. These are going to be in everyday cars,” a Peugeot spokesman told the Mail.
The company apparently worked in secret for more than two years and employed 100 scientists to create technology they believe will propel its cars to 117 miles per gallon during city driving by 2020.
“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 Mail reported.
Peugeot initially plans to include the system on cars based on some of its smaller models, but eventually envisions it being installed on larger vehicles.
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• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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