CompleteCar

Volvo Air Motion runs on air

Volvo's lightweight sportscar of the future is powered by air.

What the hell is this?

The most realistic-looking of the entrants in this year's LA Design Challenge. The Volvo Air Motion is a three-seat, open-air sportscar made out of carbon fibre and powered by compressed air motors. Don't ask.

Any new technology?

You had to go and ask... Very little is said about the fictional compressed air motors, but they take their 'fuel' from a central tank of air, presumably under high pressure. Drivers still have to stop to fill up, though at Air Replenishment Sites, which are powered by wind turbines 'floating' 1,000 feet in the air. See what I mean?

Could it replace a current model?

There's a very tenuous link to the Volvo C30, though fans of the one-off Volvo Hot Rod will recognise that car's look in the Air Motion concept.

The Volvo Air Motion is one of nine designs competing for honours in the 2010 LA Design Challenge.

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Published on October 22, 2010