Do air-powered cars exist?

Yes—but only in the form of prototypes, experimental low-speed vehicles, and research platforms. As of 2025, there are no mass-produced, road-legal passenger cars powered solely by compressed air on sale anywhere. Automakers and regulators have repeatedly tested the idea, but limits on range and efficiency, plus the cost and weight of high-pressure tanks, have kept the technology from mainstream adoption.

What “air-powered” really means

When people say “air-powered car,” they usually mean a vehicle propelled by a motor that expands compressed air stored in onboard tanks. Some designs heat that air (with ambient heat or a small fuel burn) to boost power and mitigate cooling losses; others pair compressed air with hydraulic systems for regenerative braking. Liquid-air engines—using cryogenic “liquid air” as a working fluid—are a related but distinct concept. In every case, the aim is to store energy in air and recover it for propulsion without relying on batteries as the primary store.

The state of play in 2025

Compressed-air cars have captured public imagination for decades, but none has reached large-scale production. A handful of companies have built drivable prototypes and sought approvals in light-vehicle categories (such as European quadricycles), yet commercial launches have repeatedly slipped or been canceled.

Notable attempts and what happened

The following examples illustrate the breadth of attempts—and why none has turned into a mainstream product.

• MDI “AirPod” and derivatives: French engineer Guy Nègre’s Motor Development International built several prototypes across the 2000s and 2010s and announced licensing deals, including U.S. plans via Zero Pollution Motors. Despite demonstrations and ongoing development claims, no mass production or broad road deployment has materialized.
• Tata Motors partnership (India): Tata evaluated MDI’s compressed-air engines and reported test progress in the early 2010s. The concept never reached showroom models, and Tata has since focused on battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and conventional powertrains.
• PSA Peugeot Citroën “Hybrid Air” (France): A hydraulic-compressed nitrogen hybrid concept shown in 2013 promised city-car fuel savings without batteries. By 2016 the program was shelved due to cost and packaging trade-offs versus emerging mild-hybrid and BEV options.
• Dearman Engine (UK): A “liquid air” engine pursued for transport refrigeration and potential vehicle propulsion drew significant R&D interest in the mid-2010s. The company’s transport efforts did not reach commercialization and were wound down in the early 2020s.

Taken together, these efforts show steady curiosity and engineering progress, but they also highlight recurring barriers—chiefly energy density, efficiency, and economics—relative to rapidly improving batteries and established combustion technology.

How compressed-air propulsion works

Compressed air is stored in high-pressure tanks (often carbon-fiber composites). When the driver accelerates, valves feed air into a piston or rotary “pneumatic” motor. As the air expands, it cools sharply; without heat addition, that cooling reduces pressure and power output. Many designs add heat via ambient air exchangers, phase-change materials, or small fuel burners to stabilize performance. Energy is replenished by plugging into a compressor or using an onboard compressor driven by grid electricity or another engine.

Why it hasn’t broken through

Below are the main technical and practical reasons compressed-air cars have struggled to compete with battery-electric and hybrid alternatives.

• Low effective energy density: Even under ideal isothermal assumptions, the energy in 300-bar compressed air is on the order of ~130 Wh per kilogram of air. Once you include tank mass, plumbing, and real (non-ideal) thermodynamics, system-level energy density drops well below typical EV battery packs, limiting range.
• Efficiency penalties: Electricity-to-compressed-air-to-wheel pathways often deliver roughly 25–40% end-to-end efficiency, versus 70–90% for modern BEVs from grid to wheel.
• Range and performance: Practical urban ranges are modest, and power falls as tanks deplete and the air cools, unless additional heaters or hybridization are used—adding cost and complexity.
• Cost and packaging: High-pressure composite cylinders are safe but expensive and bulky, competing with passenger and cargo space.
• Infrastructure and standards: While industrial compressors are ubiquitous, fast, safe, and standardized vehicle refilling infrastructure (with drying and quality control) is scarce compared with EV charging or liquid fuels.

These constraints do not make air propulsion impossible; they make it less competitive for mainstream passenger use, especially as batteries get cheaper, denser, and better supported by infrastructure.

Where air power has worked—historically and in niches

Air propulsion is not new, and its strengths show in specific contexts rather than in today’s family cars.

• Industrial and mining applications: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, compressed-air trams and mine locomotives were valued for zero on-site emissions and spark-free operation.
• Research and demonstrators: Universities, startups, and engineering groups continue to build low-speed prototypes and campus shuttles to test materials, thermodynamic cycles, and safety approaches.
• Hydraulic-pneumatic hybrids: In stop-and-go duty cycles (e.g., refuse trucks), hydraulic accumulators with compressed gas can recapture braking energy efficiently, though battery hybrids have gained more traction recently.

These examples underscore that air as an energy carrier can be useful in tightly defined roles—especially where short bursts of power and simple refueling matter more than long-range cruising.

Safety, standards, and legality

Compressed-air tanks typically follow pressure-vessel standards similar to those used for natural-gas storage, relying on rigorously tested composite cylinders, overpressure protection, and periodic inspection. Road legality depends on vehicle class: some prototypes aim for light quadricycle or low-speed vehicle categories with capped top speeds, which are easier to certify than full passenger cars. Even so, no large-scale regulatory approvals for mass-market air-only cars have been granted.

How air cars compare to alternatives

Compared with battery-electric cars—which now offer mass-market models at multiple price points, public charging networks, and improving range—air-powered cars face an uphill path. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles also outperform compressed air on energy density and refueling practicality, despite their own infrastructure challenges. Conventional hybrids and plug-in hybrids remain widely available and efficient.

Outlook

Air-powered propulsion will likely remain a niche or educational technology unless breakthrough advances overcome today’s physics and system-level trade-offs. Incremental improvements—better heat management during expansion, lighter and cheaper tanks, and clever hybridization—can help, but the pace of battery progress and the momentum of EV ecosystems set a high bar. Expect continued R&D and occasional pilots rather than mainstream passenger-car launches.

Summary

Air-powered cars do exist in prototype and limited low-speed forms, but none has reached mass-market, road-legal production. Physics-driven constraints on energy density and efficiency, plus cost and infrastructure hurdles, keep the concept on the fringes while BEVs, hybrids, and—more selectively—fuel-cell vehicles dominate the zero- and low-emission roadmap.

What happened to the air-powered car on Shark Tank?

The AIRPod “air car” featured on Shark Tank never made it to market; the deal Robert Herjavec offered for Zero Pollution Motors fell through because the company didn’t own the necessary U.S. distribution rights for the technology. The company is now out of business, and the project is considered a cautionary tale and one of Shark Tank’s most mysterious disappearances, with the website and social media pages going unmaintained and no production models ever manufactured.
 
What Happened to the AIRPod?

• The Shark Tank Pitch: In 2015, Zero Pollution Motors pitched the AIRPod, a compressed air-powered, zero-emission car expected to cost $10,000 and have a 100-mile range. 
• The Failed Deal: Robert Herjavec made a conditional offer of $5 million for 50% equity, contingent on the company securing broader U.S. licensing rights. 
• The Catch: The deal collapsed because Zero Pollution Motors did not possess these essential U.S. rights, as they were only a distributor. 

The Aftermath

• Company Inactivity: The company became inactive by late 2018. 
• Lack of Production: No AIRPod production models were ever manufactured, and the company never brought its technology to the U.S. market. 
• Stalled Project: Challenges with licensing, production, and U.S. safety regulations halted progress for the AIRPod. 
• A Vanishing Act: The project remains unfulfilled, earning its place as one of Shark Tank’s most prominent “vanishing acts”. 

Is it possible for flying cars to exist?

Yes, flying cars are possible and already exist as prototypes and limited-use vehicles, with some flying car companies receiving special certifications for exhibition and development. However, significant challenges prevent widespread adoption, including high costs, the need for pilot training and complex regulations, safety concerns regarding air traffic control and mid-air collisions, and the lack of infrastructure to support them.
 
Technological Feasibility

• Existing Prototypes: Opens in new tabCompanies have built and flown various flying car prototypes, demonstrating the core technology. 
• Vertical Takeoff: Opens in new tabMany designs focus on Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) capabilities, allowing them to take off and land like a helicopter. 
• Electric Propulsion: Opens in new tabSome modern flying cars are electric, leveraging battery technology for their power source. 

This video shows the world’s first flying car taking off: 52sInteresting EngineeringYouTube · Aug 29, 2025
Current Challenges

• Cost: Flying cars are currently very expensive to produce and purchase, with price tags similar to high-end aircraft. 
• Safety and Regulations: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still developing regulations for these vehicles. The potential for air traffic congestion and the severity of mid-air collisions are major concerns. 
• Infrastructure: A vast network of landing pads and charging stations would be required for practical public use, and current airports can’t support large numbers of flying cars. 
• Pilot Training: Flying cars require a specialized license and training, a significant hurdle for widespread adoption by the general public. 
• Noise and Energy Consumption: VTOL operations require a lot of power, generating considerable noise and consuming a large amount of energy, making them less efficient than traditional planes. 

Examples of Flying Cars

• Alef Aeronautics Model A: Opens in new tabA road-legal electric flying car that received a special airworthiness certificate for limited use in 2023. 
• Klein Vision Air Car: Opens in new tabA two-person vehicle designed to transform between car and aircraft modes quickly. 
• Xpeng AeroHT: Opens in new tabA drone-inspired vehicle with rotary wings designed for vertical takeoff and landing. 

Could a car run on compressed air?

Yes, it could. You could compress the air at your house using an air compressor, fill a compressed-air tank in the car, and the car could run off of it. You could use an engine very similar to a steam engine (using pressurized air instead of pressurized steam) to convert the compressed air to rotational energy.

Can a car be powered by air?

It is propelled by the release and expansion of the air within a motor adapted to compressed air. The car might be powered solely by air, or combined (as in a hybrid electric vehicle) with other fuels such as gasoline, diesel, or an electric plant with regenerative braking.