With the price of gasoline on the rise and almost every nations economy in recession, it is a race to find a more affordable means of transportation and something that won’t produce the harmful greenhouse gasses associated with gasoline engines. The latest and greatest are electric-gasoline hybrids which increase fuel milage significantly.

Supposedly, we are also going to see a hydrogen powered vehicle that produces zero emissions and is more environmentally friendly, but we’re still waiting. I think I paid around $3.25 for a gallon of gas yesterday so, i’m pretty sure now is the time we need to see them.

Well, the Dearman engine company isn’t waiting for the technology to arrive. They’ve pro sued a different avenue and reportedly are experiencing some success. It’s a new variety of cold fusion, sort of.

The design features a piston pushed by rapidly expanding air. It involves cooling liquid air to -256 degrees Fahrenheit. Then the air is combined with a heat exchange fluid and transformed into a gas. The expansion opens valves and the only emission is air.

So the liquid air is a catalyst for energy production more than it is really a fuel source. The advantage is that it would only take minutes to refuel your car as opposed to the hours it would take to charge a battery. The disadvantage is that liquid air can evaporate thus leaving you with less fuel over time.

Currently the engine is being subjected to testing at Ricardo Engineering. Hopefully the tests will reveal some avenues that can be pursued in order to bring the technology to the market in the near future.