Dutch students have invented a zero-emissions car that captures carbon as it drives

Dutch students have invented a zero-emissions car that captures carbon as it drives.

"This car was made with the goal to minimise the CO2 emitted during the manufacturing phase, the life phase and the end-of-life phase," says Jens Lahaije, a member of the Eindhoven University of Technology team who created the vehicle.

Made mostly from 3D-printed recycled plastics, the sporty all-electric car is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

Although EVs emit virtually no CO2 compared with their combustion-engine counterparts, battery cell production is highly polluting. As a result,it can take EVs tens of thousands of kilometres to achieve 'carbon parity' with comparable fossil-fuelled models.

The students' Zero Emission Mobility (ZEM) car aims to offset this using carbon capture technology. 

It features two filters that can capture up to 2 kg of CO2 over 30,000 km of driving, the Eindhoven team estimates. Although this is a small amount - it would take at least 12 cars travelling 30,000 km each to absorb the same amount as the average tree in a year - the students hope to increase the capacity of the filter in coming years.

They imagine a future when filters can be emptied at charging stations.

"Our end goal is to create a more sustainable future," says Lahaije.

The students are showing their vehicle on a US promotional tour to universities and companies from the East Coast to Silicon Valley.