What if we could just plug in a car instead of fueling up at every costly gas station? We would certainly have a little more change in our pockets, that’s for sure. The plug in car concept may be coming to life, in a more easily accessible way, sooner than you think. Volvo, the popular and well known automotive company is partnering up with Vattenfall to create and release a hybrid plug in car in the year 2012. This car would be plugged into any standard wall socket.

The cars will be initially released in Sweden and will be produced in a series. In this series of cars there will be vehicles that can either be fueled by diesel or by socket power. Vattenfall and Volvo will be working together to create the charging systems for the vehicles and additionally, provide emphasis in the companies on electricity as a practical source of energy which could counteract global warming.

Volvo and Vattenfall argue that electricity is a highly suitable source of energy for vehicles. An electric motor has a high efficiency rating and consumes roughly one-fifth the energy needed to power an engine that runs on fossil fuels. So what’s the catch? Well, the catch of course is that these electricity running engines do often run at a higher price point, meaning they may make a slightly bigger dent in your pocket at first. However, despite a greater purchase price, these cars make up for it in the massive amounts of money being saved on gas.

In the summer of 2009, three Volvo V70 demonstration cars were presented. The cars are still under the magnifying glass of both Volvo’s and Vattenfall’s dream team of engineers, but are soon to be released in the predicted year of 2012 across the sea in Sweden. We’re all just looking forward to plugging on in ourselves!

So we have all heard of the alternatives being explored to fuel for cars. However, we don’t think you have heard of air as an alternative. Yes, compressed air may just be able to power the new “Air Car” by Guy Negre. This car has been used as a testing tool for engineers in the prototype stage being manufactured by MDI. In the back of the car sits three massive air tanks used to compress the air and power the one seater vehicle.

It is designed with city driving in mind. The car, looks wise, is nothing too extraordinary. It currently has a simple, somewhat cubicle design, however this may change in the near future as it is still being designed by a team of engineers.

While this prototype is able to be driven, the car is not being sold and is still being tested on a daily basis.

The engine of the vehicle is frequently being redesigned. The sound of the engine is in a completely raw form at the moment due to the fact that the engineers need easy access to the engine at all times. However, in its final stage the interior of the car, the exterior, and of course the alarming nose currently made by the engine will be polished for production. This “Lab Car” as it is referred to, although not ready to hit the road quiet yet, illustrates an exciting new technology that may overcome the use of fuel in the near future.

We are floating on a cloud of air with this idea, perhaps the same air that this little machine is running on at the moment.

The car uses compressed air not only to move forward, but also to shift gears. This is due to the fact that gear shifting, as explained by MDI in the video featured, is the only way to maintain optimum efficiency for the vehicle.