Zem, the car that captures CO2

The unique car of Eindhoven University, Zem aims to reduce its environmental footprint and proposes to capture CO₂.

The Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) had already released six vehicles in the past. Its first was dedicated to the famous Eco-Marathon Shell race, judging efficiency. The second, Isa, could use 1 liter of gasoline over 400 kilometers, the third Nova was flexible, the fourth Lina sought material sources in nature.

Then Noah aimed for the circular economy in 2018, similar to the BMW i Vision Circular. Last year, in 2021, Luca aimed to be a car built solely from recycled materials. And it was lightweight, weighing only 360 kg, including a 60 kg battery that could travel up to 220 km per charge.

In My Zem, Zem, Zem

The seventh prototype, initially coded EM-07, was named Zem. First, the body and monocoque structure of the ZEM are built using 3D printing. The advantage here isn’t time or labor, but avoiding waste by “printing” the exact shape. The team also assures that “most of the car’s components are reusable or recyclable”. Additionally, they used a black material for the finishes, coming from recycled tires.

Zem also features bidirectional charging, like a Hyundai Ioniq 5, meaning it can power an appliance or an external network. From a simple vacuum cleaner to an entire house, useful during power outages. The car includes a 22 kW (30 hp) motor and a 20.7 kWh battery.

But its distinctive feature is CO₂ capture. Zem absorbs carbon dioxide from the air at a rate of 2 kg per 20,000 km. That’s little, considering a gasoline car emits over 100 g/km, so Zem offsets the equivalent of 20 km. The vehicle captures and traps the CO₂ in a filter, which needs cleaning every 320 km, but it’s a start.

To become sustainable, the operation plans to reuse it “by producing greener concrete, transforming it into synthetic fuel, or into sparkling water,” explains team director Louise de Laat to Interesting Engineering.

A carbon-neutral car next year?

The ultimate goal of the team of engineers and students is to build a car that is completely carbon-neutral over its lifecycle. Perhaps this will be for the eighth vehicle, maybe to be released in 2023?

Because for traditional automakers, patience will be needed. Swedish brand Polestar aims to be the benchmark by launching such a car as early as 2030.

Read also: Rechargeable hybrid cars: a new CO₂ test in Europe?