History's Innovative Autos
Compressed air
In 1979, as America found itself embroiled in an energy crisis,
Missouri-based engine designer Terry Miller built a car that ran on
an abundant, zero-emission fuel source—air. Compressed-air
engines had been used in some locomotives and trucks since the
1800s, but Miller streamlined the design for his Air Car One
(above). Pressure generated by the release of compressed air from
onboard tanks drove the car's engine. Miller's vehicle was never
commercially produced, but interest remains. India's Tata Motors,
for one, may have a compressed-air car on the country's roads by
2008.