The Ecomoto is a new type of scooter that is designed to run on nothing but compressed air. It is quiet and doesn't pump pollution into the atmosphere and if the air compressor used to fill its tank runs on renewable electricity, doesn’t have much of a carbon footprint.

The concept was created by Darby Bicheno, an Australian design study. He says that the air engine runs directly on the air inside rather than converting energy from a battery.

While it is just a concept, air powered engines are already in use.  EngineAir, an Australian company, invented the engine, and has placed it in small pieces of equipment like forklifts.

Could future rides be fitted with engines like that?



Bicheno says he used bamboo for the body of the scooter because it grows quickly and that it is more sustainable than other plantation timbers. It could also reduce carbon emissions by replacing plastic.

“The overall form, assembly and design of the bike was focused on minimalism, with every element being carefully though out to ensure that there were no extraneous details or features,” says Bicheno.

The bike's frame is made from a single tube of steel.




In a place where bikes are the common form of transport, could the Ecomoto make a big impact on pollution in places like India and Vietnam? Very likely of course.