This car absorbs CO2 from the air & can travel nearly 320km before needing to ‘refuel’

In the pursuit of carbon neutrality (and saving the world from imploding on itself), the tech innovations that humankind has come up with have so far only provided surface-level fixes. Governments across the globe say they’ll do one thing in the name of the environment, but it almost never adds up to anything meaningful in execution. And then of course, there are entire continents (the Global North) that seem to be policing what developing nations do, using climate change as a reason to stunt any significant advances – despite themselves contributing to 92 percent of excess global carbon emissions .

Ironic. But I digress. One of the most feasible ways we can help neutralize our carbon footprint lies in the transport we use everyday.

With electric cars slowly becoming the norm, perhaps it’s about time we look in a different direction when it comes to eco-friendly people movers – absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. Yep! That’s exactly what Netherlands-based TU/ecomotive – comprised of 35 students based at the Eindhoven University of Technology – revealed in the form of a working prototype. The car, dubbed Zem, uses technology called ‘direct air capturing’, which cleans the air by capturing CO2 and storing it in a filter within the car itself.

This provides it the necessary power to keep driving. The concept is more straightforward than it looks: While the car is being driven, air will move through the self-designed filters, storing the ‘captured’ CO2 in the process. At the time of writing, Zem is capable of capturing the equivalent of 2kg of CO2 per 32,000km driven.

When doing some big-brain math, it would take 10 ZEM vehicles to absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide that one average-sized tree can. Sure, these numbers may seem minuscule right now, but bear in mind this is just a prototype – with improvements coming further down the line. Once the filter is full, you can replace it with a new one.

Drivers of Zem can basically view this time as the moment the car needs to be ‘refueled’, which should happen roughly every 320km or so. The design principle of the car also keeps high-recyclability in mind, using materials that can be easily separated once the vehicle has reached the end of its lifespan – however long that may be. Even the car’s monocoque and body panels are 3D-printed with circular plastic, further minimizing carbon emissions and waste material in the production process.

If need be, the car can also be dismantled, allowing you to shred and reuse the circular plastic for other projects. “By designing most parts within our car to be reusable or recyclable, we are making sure that the CO2 emissions in the after-life of Zem are lowered in comparison to ‘conventional’ cars,” the team said. “Since all these materials and car parts can be used for other purposes and very little new materials have to get into the cycle, this felt like the most sustainable option for us.

” Another extremely useful feature of Zem is its solar-panel roof, which is capable of providing auxiliary power to an entire household, in case no other options are available during emergencies. Basically, Zem can also act as one giant external battery for your house. “In this way, Zem makes use of both the batteries and the space on the roof to make the vehicle and its surroundings more sustainable, even when it is not driving,” TU/ecomotive said in a press release.

To learn more about Zem, click here . S’pore gov’s aunty/uncle-style PSAs are a bLeSsEd reminder to save water Durian waste gets turned into bandages by clever Singaporean scientists Behold: The world’s first disposable razor made of paper 9 alternative uses for condoms. ‘Cause let’s face it, you’re not getting any.

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