A French carmaker is introducing a truly unique vehicle to the North American market… one that runs on air!

This story posted on The Future of Things web site says Zero Pollution Motors is planning on soon debuting it’s six-seater Air Car CityCat to America:

Developed by Formula One race car engineer Guy Negre, the Air Car is equipped with a revolutionary dual-energy compressed air engine, achieving a fuel efficiency of 106 miles to the gallon. At low speeds, this vehicle emits only air from its tailpipe making it a good option for ‘green’ inter-city traveling. The Air Car is built with Compressed Air Technology (C.a.t.) and is designed to be relatively affordable, as it is estimated to cost approximately $18,000 and to consume only small quantities of fuel.

The CityCat is capable of reaching a top speed of 96mph. When driving at a speed of over 35mph, the Air Car heats the air by using small amounts of fuel – gasoline, propane, ethanol, or bio fuels. Even when it does use fuel, the car produces emissions of 0.158lbs of CO2 per mile, still much less than any other currently available car. Before the air is compressed, it runs through carbon filters that clean it from all impurities so that the engine’s performance is not disrupted.

The car is built light, too, with body made of fiberglass and injected foam. Even the gas tank is non-metal, built of carbon fiber with a thermoplastic lining