Dutch students create carbon-eating car

A team of students from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have come up with a car that consumes more carbon than it produces.

Although electric vehicles operate emissions free, they still produce carbon during their manufacturing phase. The effects of battery cell production are highly polluting, meaning it can take tens of thousands of kilometers for an EV to become carbon neutral.

However, the aforementioned team of Dutch students behind the Zero Emission Mobility (ZEM) car have found a way to speed up the carbon neutralising process through low emissions production methods alongside the vehicle’s innovative carbon-eating feature.

The ZEM has been manufactured using 3D printed recycled plastic including the monocoque and body panels and is powered by a lithium ion battery. It also features solar panels on the roof and bonnet.

However, its party trick is a carbon capturing filter that can absorb 2kg of harmful emissions every 30,000kms. While the team admits that isn’t a huge figure, it proposes that large scale use could make a significant impact.

According to the team, they imagine the filter can be emptied at charging stations in the future after it fills up over 320km of travel.

“This car was made with the goal to minimise the CO2 emitted during the manufacturing phase, the life phase and the end-of-life phase,” says Jens Lahaije, a member of the team behind the ZEM speaking to Euronews.