Car that absorbs CO2 ‘n’ releases O2

Taking cue from the plants’ ability to photosynthesise, Chinese automaker Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has developed a new concept car that could take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. SAIC, which has a partnership wtih General Motors in China, showed designs for the photosynthesising YeZ Concept Car recently at Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

YeZ (pronounced “yea-zi”) is Mandarin Chinese for “leaf,” and it is the apt title for the open buggy-like vehicle, which has a roof shaped like a leaf, reports Discovery News. The technical details haven’t been articulated, but according to a report in Xinhua, YeZ designer Ma Zhengkun has said that the roof “absorbs solar energy and transforms it into electricity while spinning rotors on the four wheels generate power from the wind.”

According to CNET Asia blogger Juniper Foo, the two-seater car would have a “metal-organic framework,” which would work to absorb CO2 and water, turning them into electricity that would get stored in a lithium-ion battery. This car will be an amazing tribute to world if it comes out. It is expected to come into markets by 2011. Price of this car is still a suspense.