A car that was designed specifically to strip the air of pollution as it drives, has been shown off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The car, called Airo, was created by British designer, Thomas Heatherwick. The hope is that the Airo will go into production in China by 2023, with plans to produce a million of these cars.
The radical design is intended to not only address the air pollution problem but also to help resolve the “space crisis”.
However, critics are unconvinced that the Airo can ever be more than just a concept car.
Designer, Thomas Heatherwick, is better known for architectural projects but he was intrigued by the brief and decided to design a car even though he has never done it before.
“When I grew up design values were manifested through cars, whether it be the [Ford] Sierra in the 1980s, the [Fiat]Panda, some major ideas were emerging through cars.
“When we were approached by IM Motors in China, we said that we were not car designers and they said ‘that is why we want you’.”
The car was first unveiled at a Sjanghai car show in April. The Airo has a large glass roof and an interior that looks like a room, with seats that can turn into beds and a table for meetings or meals.
The steering wheel is hidden inside the dashboard and the exterior is textured with a series of ridges.
The front grill of the Airo will be fitted with an air filter which will “collect a tennis ball worth of particulate matter per year”.
Heatherwick has admitted that it is possible that the design of the Airo “may simplify somewhat” when it goes into production.
Sources: BBC, Tech Digest
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