Eco-Friendly Car: Runs on Compressed Air

A car that runs on compressed air secured a development deal on the American TV show "Shark Tank."

The car, called AIRPod, operates on an engine using compressed air as an alternative to an internal combustion engine. Developed by Guy Nègre, a former Formula 1 engineer, it weighs 270 kg, can reach a speed of 80 km/h, and travel a distance of 130 km. It runs on cold air compressed into high-pressure tanks, heated and sent to the cylinders of a piston engine. When the engine runs, no combustion takes place, so there is no air pollution. Moreover, thanks to an internal filter, the air emitted from the exhaust is cleaner than the air that enters it. The car's price is set at $10,000.

The car's inventors secured $5 million in funding to turn the "eco-friendly car" concept into mass production in the U.S. During the "Shark Tank" show, Robert Herjavec, a Croatian-American businessman, agreed to invest $5 million in Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM), the company developing the innovative car. The investment is conditional upon the company securing the rights to manufacture and sell the car nationwide. In return for the investment, Herjavec will acquire 50 percent of the company.

The planned production and sale of the AIRPod are also eco-friendly: it will be manufactured as a single unit in small factories across the United States, where it will also be sold. This method could reduce costs and is cheaper than the current method of car production and sale. The company hopes that the sale of the first cars can start as early as the second half of the year.