The car that cleans the air while driving

TU/ecomotive, a team of students from TU Eindhoven in The Netherlands, has developed an electric vehicle prototype which removes CO2 from the air as it drives.

Dubbed Zem, for Zero Emission Mobility, the two-seater resembles a BMW coupe and features two special built-in filters that capture up to two kilograms of CO2 over around 32,000 km (20,000 miles) of travel, by the team's estimates. The CO2 is then stored in the car until it can be disposed of. They imagine a future when filters can be emptied at charging stations.

“Our end goal is to create a more sustainable future,” said Jens Lahaije, finance manager for TU/ecomotive, the Eindhoven University of Technology student team that created the car.

Read more: Hydrogen vs electric cars: Which are more sustainable?

Zem is powered by a Cleantron lithium-ion battery pack, and most of its parts are 3D-printed from recycled plastics, Lahaije said.

He added that the target is to minimise carbon dioxide emitted during the car's full lifespan, from manufacture to recycling.

Battery electric vehicles emit virtually no CO2 during operation compared with combustion-engine vehicles. However, battery cell production can create so much pollution that it can take EVs tens of thousands of miles to achieve “carbon parity” with comparable fossil-fueled models.

The students are showing their vehicle on a promotional tour of US universities and companies from the East Coast to Silicon Valley.

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