World’s first carbon-neutral car

Posted by Andi
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Road transport contributes about 16% of global carbon dioxide emissions, but what if our cars could actually start capturing these emissions?

The TU/ecomotive team from the Eindhoven University of Technology have unveiled their design for the world’s first ‘carbon neutral car’, which captures and stores carbon dioxide from the air as it drives down the road, known as ‘Zem’.

Worlds First Carbon Neutral Car

Air flows in through a grille on the front of the vehicle, which passes through a filter that separates and stores the greenhouse gas. The filter reaches capacity after about 200 miles, when it has collected about 30g of gaseous carbon dioxide. The filters can then be cleaned or replaced, and the captured carbon dioxide emptied. 

How much Carbon Dioxide could it capture?

The engineers claim that up to two kilograms of carbon dioxide could be removed for every 12,800 miles the car travels per year using its ‘direct air capture technology’. If the technology was to be rolled out to the millions of cars on the road around the world then it has the potential to make a real contribution to reducing greenhouse gases.

The prototype also has solar panels on its roof and bonnet which allows it to provide green energy.

Carbon Neutral Train

As well as the carbon neutral car, scientists are also developing a carbon neutral train. A US-based startup company has been working with engineers to develop huge vents that take in carbon dioxide while the train moves. The CO2 can then be separated from the air, converted to a liquid and stored within the carriage until it can be emptied. 

The researchers say that an average freight train with these CO2Rail cars could remove up to 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Do your bit for the climate crisis by clicking here and getting more information about how you can cut your carbon footprint.

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