French automaker Peugeot should be applauded for being bold and trying something new – its HYbrid Air tech. The latest vehicle to show it off is the 208 HYbrid Air 2L which uses, as its name suggests, 2 l/100km of gasoline, equivalent to 141 mpg UK / 117 mpg US.
HYbrid Air works like any regular hybrid system, but where it sets itself apart is in the kind of boost it uses. Peugeot has devised a way to use compressed air (stored a tank located in the back) the same way regular hybrids use electricity.
It relies on a hydraulic system to manage between the two power sources and, in case you were wondering, the compressed air in the tank is replenished when you slow down, again kind of like a battery-reliant system – it takes just 10 seconds to fill up, apparently.
The 208 HYbrid Air uses the compressed air along with an ordinary 82-horse 1.2-liter. Peugeot doesn’t specifically say how much the two make together, but whatever the number is, it won’t really have a problem shifting the vehicle around, as it only weighs 860 kg / 1,896 lbs.
The study will debut at the Paris motor show next month.
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