Astron Aerospace has developed a hydrogen-burning engine that releases mainly water. That's right, it's a combustion engine with no heat-trapping fumes, according to a story on the tech from Interesting Engineering.
If the engine can be successfully scaled and adopted by motorists, it would provide a 60% efficiency rate that clobbers gas-guzzlers, which operate at around 20% to 40%, as noted by IE.
"We're thrilled to reveal our groundbreaking engine technology designed to usher in a greener and more sustainable future," Matthew Riley, the H2 Starfire engine's inventor, wrote on the company website. The message is accompanied by the slogan, "The Race to Zero is Over!"
A 12-second video clip shows the engine in action, shooting flames out of the side as it operates with familiar engine sounds.
Astron also lists impressive perks for its prototype. The "unprecedented efficiency" is accompanied by a compact design, minimal friction, and low maintenance using fewer than 100 parts. The designers expect the engine to run for more than 100,000 hours between overhauls. In a perk for speed demons, throttle response is expected to be nearly "instantaneous," all per the specs.