Pneumatic engine design may give way to a more efficient fuel consumption that is comparable to hybrid cars. The concept of pneumatic engine design is based on the supercharging and down sizing concepts.

The pneumatic engine works efficiently by utilizing an electronically controlled valve that regulates the flow of compressed air concurrent with the injection of the fuel.

The technology also allows downsizing. The average 150 horsepower car can be downsized to only 30 horse power which is sufficient enough for dialing driving.

Downsizing allows the use of fewer cylinders in the car engine. The usual 4 cylinders can practically be downgraded to 2 which promote less friction in the engine and better efficiency. The car is turbocharged to keep the power demanded by the owner or driver.

A prototype produced by the ETH Zurich displayed favorable results with an 18-24 % increase in the average efficiency of the engine. That translates to one-third fuel savings.

The fuel efficiency achieved by the air hybrid vehicle is just 20% of the notch of what a full electric vehicle can do. Experts comment though that the ratio of price and performance is a lot better.