Peugeot will reveal an innovative vehicle powered by … air at the Paris Motor Show this October.
Sure enough, we are not talking about an air balloon. The engineers from Peugeot have created the 208 Hybrid Air 2L concept, which uses both petrol and compressed air.
What is the purpose of all that? The French government is up to every move. By 2020, the new cars should not consume more than 2L per 100 km. The air-powered Peugeot fits perfectly well under these parameters. To be substantive, the combined petrol- and air-powered powertrain will be introduced on a full-production model in 2016.
This idea is not that fresh. Back in 2013, a similar car was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show; however, the project did not get further development. The current model is fitted with a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine delivering 82 hp coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission.
As for the compressed air, it can also be used to power the car. In effect, the system consists of a compressed air tank mounted under the boot floor, a low-pressure tank near the rear axle and a hydraulic system with a motor and a pump in the engine bay. The compressed air tank can be recharged when driving slowly or by partially using the energy developed by the petrol engine, so there is no need for an air refill.
The system launches with the help of a special planetary gear, which combines the work of the petrol engine and the compressed air unit. Together with that, the system controls switching between three driving modes: petrol, hybrid and air.
