Korean company develops compressed-air hybrid
Move over, Prius. There's a new hybrid in town. Korean company Energine Corp. has produced a prototype hybrid car that runs on an electric motor and compressed air. The pneumatic-hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is designed to run on compressed air until it reaches a cruising speed of about 15 mph, at which point the electric motor kicks in. This isn't the first attempt to produce an air-powered car; France's MDI has been developing a compressed-air car since 2000, and currently expects its cars to be available by 2006 for about €10,000. All of these cars suffer from a problem that has hobbled other electric vehicles: they need to be recharged (MDI's car needs about 6 hours for a full charge). However, they could be effective in environments where range isn't an issue, such as for short commutes. And if they caught on, compressed-air stations could fill them much more quickly. But we're pretty confident that the industry behind the world's filling stations isn't about to let that happen.
[Via Slashdot]
