French automaker Peugeot Citroen has developed a hybrid car that operates on compressed air, gasoline or a combination of the two and is expected to be on roads near you by 2016.
The car, named Hybrid Air, has the capability of reaching speeds of up to 43 miles per hour on compressed air alone to power a hydraulic motor. When the car exceeds 43 miles per hour, the gasoline engine kicks in. The green car could cut fuel bills by 45 percent for average motorists and up to 80 percent when driving in towns and cities. The company is hoping to achieve a car than can go 117 miles per hour by 2020.
If you think this new car of the future is too good to be true, just wait, it gets better. The Hybrid Air will be over $1,000 cheaper than current hybrid models because it ditches expensive electric batteries. The car will also look like any other car on the road today.
“We are not talking about weird and wacky machines. These are going to be in everyday cars," a spokesman for Peugeot said.
The company unveiled its prototype yesterday, the Peugeot 208.
They also showcased plans for larger cars such as the Peugeot 508 and the Citroen C5 that will save 20 percent on fuel by building them with new materials such as lightweight steel and aluminuim composites