HISTORY OF LIQUID AIR ENGINES
Although still considered an unproven technology, liquid air engines have been around for a long time. The first motor car based on Liquid Air technology was designed in 1899 and demonstrated at a London motor show in 1902.
In 1899, Hans Knudsen designed a car called the Liquid Air. His invention did not find many takers and the company went into receivership in 1901, but Knudsen still demonstrated the car at a London motor show in 1902. The photograph above was taken in 1903. Source: Powered by Liquid Air (douglas-self.com)
Cut to the present day: Energy storage specialist Highview Power has unveiled plans to build the United Kingdom’s first large-scale and commercial cryogenic energy storage facility, utilising the inherent natural properties of liquid air. Highview's success proves the robustness of the technology and its scope to transform the clean power sector.
While Highview Power has been successful in using liquid air technology to provide energy storage at a grid scale, Epicam's technology, which works on the same principle, can be scaled down to be utilised in a wide array of uses in the shipping, transport and domestic energy sectors.
