Spotlight: A Car that Runs on Air and Water? Only in Israel!

Israeli company Phinergy has developed a technology that could revolutionize the use of energy. Among other applications, it would power a car, using just metal, air and water.

Much of the Western world has long been dreaming of the development of an electric car that would eliminate the need for gasoline, thus lowering operating costs, cutting dependence on oil and drastically reducing negative impact on the environment. Today’s driving catchphrase is “sustainable energy.”

While the first fully electric car was created in 1837, until recently its high production costs, low speed and limited range made it an impractical option for most commuters.

However, over the past 18 years, electric car technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, first with the round of hybrid gas/electric cars, which came onto the market in 1997, to the fully electric Tesla Roadster in the US.

The Tesla Roadster was the first highway-capable, all-electric vehicle in the US. However, with a price tag still over $80,000, it remains out of reach to all but the wealthiest consumers, and it still requires recharging within less than a hundred miles. Most all-electric vehicles on the market still face at least one of three barriers – price, speed and/or range.

Power from Metal, Air and Water

An Israeli company called Phinergy has created a technology that uses metal, air and water to power a vehicle. This metal-air technology has been at the forefront of research for years because of its enormous potential for revolutionizing the world’s use of energy.

Since 2008, Phinergy, benefiting from more than a decade of academic research at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv, has been successfully developing this technology by utilizing the energy stored in metal.

Phinergy’s special metal-air battery. Photo: Phinergy.com

Phinergy’s battery creates energy by combining aluminum and ambient air with water. The difference between this process and other electric-powered vehicles is comparable to the difference between a human scuba diver who must carry his oxygen in a balloon on his back, and a fish, which simply utilizes the oxygen contained in water by breathing through its gills.

Because of the unique technology, the battery is immune to CO2-related problems, which, according to Phinergy, has been the leading cause of metal-air battery failure in the past.

While for the everyday consumer, transportation may be the most compelling aspect of this technology, there are many other relevant applications in the areas of energy storage, defense and consumer electronics.

For the vehicle consumer, one of the most attractive aspects of this technology is that instead of having to refuel with gasoline every several hundred miles, or having to recharge or exchange a battery, the only necessary ingredient for refueling is water – a resource that is widely available, giving these cars a range that is virtually unlimited and making them very cost-efficient.

Phinergy is another example of an Israeli company working to make the world a better place.

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