What Happened to the Car That Runs on Air?

The much-hyped “car that runs on air” never made it to mass production. Projects built around compressed-air propulsion—most notably MDI’s AirPod and its partnership with Tata Motors, as well as PSA Peugeot Citroën’s Hybrid Air—stalled after prototypes and pilot programs. As of 2025, no road-legal, mass-market passenger car powered primarily by compressed air is on sale; the idea survives in niche demonstrations and research, eclipsed by the rapid rise of battery-electric vehicles.

What “running on air” really means

These cars don’t create energy from thin air; they use compressed air as an energy carrier. Electricity (or another power source) compresses air into high-pressure tanks, and a motor expands that air to drive the wheels. The appeal was simple: no tailpipe emissions and theoretically quick refueling via high-pressure compressors. The reality proved more complicated—especially on efficiency, range, and cost.

The rise and stall: a brief timeline

The following timeline highlights the key moments that shaped public expectations—and the eventual fade—of compressed-air cars.

• 1990s–2000s: Luxembourg/France-based MDI (founded by engineer Guy Nègre) unveils compressed-air car prototypes, drawing widespread media attention.
• 2007: Tata Motors signs an agreement with MDI to co-develop the technology. Tata reports internal milestones around 2012, but no consumer vehicle reaches production.
• 2013–2015: PSA Peugeot Citroën demonstrates a “Hybrid Air” concept (a gasoline engine paired with compressed-air energy storage) on small-car prototypes, then cancels production plans amid cost and partnership hurdles.
• 2015: U.S. licensee Zero Pollution Motors pitches the MDI AirPod on TV show Shark Tank; the announced deal doesn’t culminate in U.S. production.
• Late 2010s–early 2020s: MDI continues limited pilots and demonstrations of updated AirPod concepts and promotes a micro-factory model, but broad commercial rollout does not materialize.
• 2020s: With lithium-ion costs falling and EV infrastructure expanding, compressed-air cars remain absent from dealerships worldwide as of 2025.

Together, those milestones show a consistent pattern: headline-grabbing prototypes and partnerships that encountered technical, economic, and market headwinds before reaching consumers at scale.

Why it didn’t take off

Multiple structural challenges kept compressed-air cars from becoming practical competitors to battery-electric and conventional vehicles.

• Thermodynamic losses: Compressing air generates heat that is often wasted; releasing it cools the system, sapping performance unless extra heating is added. The overall grid-to-wheel efficiency is far lower than modern battery-electric drivetrains.
• Limited range and bulky storage: High-pressure tanks add weight and take space, with far lower usable energy per kilogram than gasoline and less than modern EV battery packs once tank mass is included.
• Refueling infrastructure: Fast, safe 300+ bar refills require specialized compressors and standards; installing and maintaining that network is costly.
• Cost and safety: Certified composite tanks and high-pressure systems are expensive and must meet stringent safety regulations for crashworthiness and longevity.
• Market timing: As EV costs fell and range increased, compressed-air cars lost their main advantages on simplicity and refueling time.
• Regulatory and validation burden: Bringing an all-new propulsion architecture to global safety, emissions, and durability standards demands capital and years of testing.

In combination, these obstacles eroded the technology’s value proposition just as EVs matured into mainstream products.

Where the technology did find a home

While air-powered cars stalled, compressed air and pneumatic hybrids found niche and adjacent uses.

• Industrial and fleet applications: Compressed air remains commonplace in tools and plant equipment; a few pilots used small air-powered vehicles for controlled settings (e.g., campuses, warehouses).
• Pneumatic energy recovery: Research prototypes in buses and delivery trucks captured braking energy into compressed air to assist acceleration, improving urban duty-cycle efficiency.
• Grid-scale storage research: Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is explored for utility-scale energy buffering, separate from vehicles.
• Education and demonstrations: Universities and startups continue to build small air-powered prototypes to explore isothermal compression, heat recovery, and lightweight motor designs.

These niches leverage compressed air’s strengths—simplicity and robustness—without the packaging and efficiency penalties that hindered passenger cars.

Could it come back?

A revival would require breakthroughs that change first principles or market conditions: near-isothermal compression and efficient heat management; tanks that are dramatically lighter, cheaper, and safer; abundant ultra-cheap electricity at depots for rapid refills; and policy tailwinds that favor ultra-simple drivetrains for specific fleets. Even then, battery-electric powertrains currently hold decisive advantages in efficiency, ecosystem maturity, and total cost of ownership for most road vehicles.

How it compares today

The comparison below summarizes where compressed-air cars stand relative to today’s leading alternatives.

• Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs): Highest overall efficiency from grid to wheels; rapidly improving batteries; widespread charging; strong automaker commitment.
• Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCEVs): Fast refueling and long range but costly fuel and sparse infrastructure; higher efficiency than compressed-air when measured grid-to-wheel via green hydrogen remains contested and context-dependent.
• Compressed-air cars: Simple mechanics and non-flammable energy carrier, but low efficiency, limited range per volume/weight, expensive tanks, and minimal infrastructure.

Given these trade-offs, compressed-air propulsion is unlikely to displace EVs or hydrogen in mainstream light-duty markets without step-change innovations.

Bottom line and outlook

The “car that runs on air” captured imaginations but couldn’t overcome physics and economics. Companies behind the most visible efforts shifted focus or remained in perpetual pilot mode, while the auto industry standardized around electrification. Compressed-air concepts may persist in specialized roles and research, but for everyday drivers, the future belongs to batteries (and, in some niches, hydrogen), not air tanks.

Summary

No compressed-air car achieved mass-market release. High-profile programs from MDI (AirPod), Tata Motors, and PSA’s Hybrid Air advanced to prototypes and pilots but stalled due to poor efficiency, limited range, cost and safety challenges for high-pressure tanks, lack of refueling infrastructure, and the rapid ascendancy of battery-electric vehicles. As of 2025, air-powered cars remain a curiosity in demonstrations and niche projects rather than a commercial reality.

What happened to Wave car after Shark Tank?

WaiveCar, the free, ad-supported car-sharing service featured on Shark Tank, was acquired by REEF in December 2021. The original company and its services are no longer active, but its founders joined REEF to work on their own electric vehicle-sharing program, REEF Drive. Although the REEF Drive brand is also now defunct, the acquisition marked an exit for WaiveCar and a pivot to a new business direction for its founders.
 
Before the Acquisition

• The Concept: WaiveCar offered free usage of electric cars for short periods, with the vehicles serving as mobile billboards to generate revenue. 
• Shark Tank Appearance: The company, led by founders Zoli Honig and Isaac Deutsch, secured a deal with Kevin O’Leary on the show. 
• Post-Shark Tank: The company expanded its fleet and continued to operate for several years. 

The Pivot and Acquisition

• A Shift in Strategy: The company eventually made a business pivot, but the specifics of why are unclear. 
• Softbank Investment: REEF, a company backed by Softbank, was the entity that acquired WaiveCar in late 2021. 

After the Acquisition

• Founders Join REEF: WaiveCar’s founders, Zoli Honig and Isaac Deutsch, became part of the REEF team. 
• REEF Drive: The acquisition led to the creation of REEF Drive, another electric vehicle sharing program. 
• End of an Era: By early 2022, the WaiveCar domain was redirecting to REEF Drive, and by July 2022, the REEF Drive brand itself was also reportedly defunct, with its website and social media accounts becoming inactive. 

Is there a car that runs on air?

Yes, a compressed air-powered car, such as the AirPod developed by Zero Pollution Motors, exists but is not widely available. These vehicles use compressed air stored in a tank to power a piston engine that drives the car, offering advantages like zero emissions and fast refueling times. However, they face challenges related to energy density, limited driving range, and market availability, with production and sales being inconsistent or delayed.
 
How It Works

• Energy Source: The car stores compressed air in a tank. 
• Engine: When released from the tank, the air drives a piston engine, similar to a traditional engine but without combustion. 
• Emissions: The process releases only clean, cool air, making it a zero-emission vehicle. 

Pros

• Zero Emissions: No pollutants are released, making it an environmentally friendly option. 
• Fast Refueling: The tanks can be refilled in just a few minutes at a compressed air station. 
• Lower Manufacturing Costs: The materials and manufacturing process for compressed air systems can be cheaper than those for other electric vehicles. 

Cons

• Limited Range: Compressed air has low energy density, resulting in a shorter driving range compared to gasoline or battery-powered cars. 
• Availability: Despite initial plans and prototypes, widespread production and sales of air-powered cars have not materialized. 
• Energy Conversion Efficiency: Roundtrip efficiency for compressed air systems can be low, meaning a lot of energy is lost in the compression and expansion process. 

The AirPod and Related Technologies

• Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM): Opens in new tabA company that has been developing the AirPod, a compressed air-powered vehicle. 
• MDI (Motor Development International): Opens in new tabA company that has worked with Zero Pollution Motors and is known for its air-powered engine technology. 
• Range and Speed: Opens in new tabEarly prototypes of the AirPod aimed for a range of about 100 miles per tank and speeds of around 20-30 mph for city driving. 

While compressed air technology shows promise for zero-emission vehicles, its practical application in the form of a widely available car is still limited by efficiency and energy density issues.

Why was the electric car killed?

GM and other car manufacturers opposed the CARB laws, and finally they reached changes which did not make it necessary to make a certain share of ZEVs. So the urgent reason to make EVs was gone. GM decided to terminate the test, collect all cars and destroy them.

What happened to the air powered car from 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”.