Peugeot Citroen PSA has revealed a new hybrid drivetrain which uses compressed air instead of electricity to provide the secondary source of power.
The system -- which is called Hybrid Air -- utilises a traditional internal combustion engine mated to a hydraulic motor which is powered by compressed air supplied from a tank.
The images above show the system fitted to a Citroen C3. As you can see, the engine, transmission and motor are situated in the engine bay, while the compressed air tank runs underneath the car, parallel to the exhaust pipe.
The Hybrid Air system can run on either petrol or air power alone, or on a combination of the two. The car would only run in air-only mode at speeds below 43mph, allowing for zero-emissions city motoring. Regenerative braking is also used within the system to refill the tank with air on the move.
The system weighs around 100kg but PSA claims that it provides a 45 per cent improvement in fuel consumption and a 90 per cent improvement in range over a traditionally-powered car. If used in the Citroen C3, PSA claims that the car could return 97.4mpg and emit just 69g/km, making it congestion charge-exempt under the new Ultra Low Emission Discount.
PSA is looking into implementing this technology on production vehicles by 2016. The arrival of the technology will mark another step towards the firm's goal of producing a 2l/100km (141mpg) car by the year 2020.
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