Driving on air

by Lisa Cardy

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WORRIED about rising fuel prices Remember all too well the chaos of queing for petrol in the recent blockade Then a new car which runs on air will be just the sort of thing you're after.

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The car, called the e.Volution, will cost �6,000 to buy, and its creators claim it can travel up to 200km for just 20 pence, making it an ideal about-town car.

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The e.Volution prototype, unveiled at Auto Africa Expo 2000 in Johannesburg, is being touted as the first viable alternative to cars that run on conventional fuels.

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The vehicle, which weighs only 700kg, is powered by compression engine technology. Compressed air, stored in tanks underneath the car, is released and powers the 35kg piston engine, at the rear of the car.

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The developers, Motor Development International, in Luxembourg, claim that the car will run for up to 10 hours at an average speed of 80km/h. To refill, simply plug the car into a normal electricity supply, which could take up to 4 hours, or�plug it in to your air station, which can refuel the vehicle in minutes.

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The vehicle could be on the streets of France by the beginning of�next year.

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However not everyone is rushing to embrace the e.Volution as a 'green' alternative to petrol and diesel vehicles. The car relies on compressed air, a process that requires electricity, and so will use fossil fuels indirectly. Environmental groups claim that other technologies like fuel cell and hybrid cars offer a better alternative.

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