University Students Design A Car That Can Clean The Air As It Drives
For some, turning towards a more environmentally-friendly life may include switching from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles. While that can help cut down on your carbon footprint, students in Norway are taking it one step further by designing an automobile that not only runs on electricity but can capture carbon as it drives.
Introducing Zem, the prototype that takes a proactive stance on sustainability. Zem was produced by a team of 35 students from the Eidenhover University of Technology who aimed to create an environmentally friendly car through all phases of its life, from inception until it was ready for the junkyard.
Most of Zem’s 3D-printed parts use materials that can be recycled.
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So, how exactly will the car clean the air? The team had designed special filters, which are located within the body of the vehicle. Air is meant to pass through it, and the filtered CO2 will then be caught and stored within it.
Currently, Zem can only clean two kilograms of air for every 20,000 miles it travels. The university notes that while it may not seem like a lot, Zem is mainly used as a proof-of-concept vehicle to demonstrate that such technology can work.
The project is in aid of the EU’s larger plan to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by the time we reach 2030.
[via Jalopnik and TU Ecomotive, cover image via TU Ecomotive]
