Peugeot’s HYbrid Air technology is expected to be ready for production cars in 2016. As its name suggests, it combines an internal combustion engine not with an electric motor but with… air. Not pounded, but pressed.
The French will demonstrate the Hybrid Air hybrid system in Geneva on their new 2008 urban crossover. The three-cylinder 1.2 VTi is combined with a hydraulic motor, which receives energy from compressed air and helps mainly during the period of acceleration and starting.
The system includes a pressurized air tank, which is mounted under the body, in the central tunnel, and a hydraulic motor.
An additional low-pressure air tank is located in the cross-member of the rear suspension. An automatic transmission replaces the manual transmission.