French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citron has unveiled a new hybrid vehicle concept incorporating a gasoline internal combustion engine along with compressed nitrogen propulsion.
Aimed at reducing the cost of cutting emissions to half, compared to existing gasoline-electric hybrids, the new 'Hybrid Air' system is claimed to be lighter than a hybrid powered by petrol and battery power.
Peugeot has developed the new hybrid technology in collaboration with auto parts supplier Robert Bosch.
PSA Peugeot Citron Research & Development executive vice president Guillaume Faury said that the process by which automobiles evolve is advancing very quickly in what is a profoundly changing environment.
"We are stepping up our innovation here at PSA Peugeot Citron to meet the major challenges of tomorrow's mobility," Faury said.
According to the carmaker, the 'Hybrid Air' system marks a key step in the path headed for fuel consumption of 2 l/100 km.
To be equipped on B-segment models starting in 2016, the new technology is expected to allow vehicles travel on the compressed gas power for 80% of the time with the three-cylinder petrol engine cut.
The French carmaker revealed that a prototype Hybrid Air subcompact generated 72g of CO2 per km, compared to 104g generated for a Peugeot 208 model featuring the same combustion engine.