For decades now car manufacturers have spent time and money in developing alternative power technologies so that now any of us can go out and buy an electrically powered car, given the damage being done from overuse of fossil fuels and ever rising oil prices this can be no bad thing.
However there are drawbacks with the current technology being used with most electric cars. When compared with their petrol driven counterparts they can be slower, more expensive to buy, have far less range and take a long time to recharge, however this is not say they arn't without their advantages, many are much cheaper to run, quieter and produce very little polution.
Details in a news story are now emerging of a new technology that may allow for the development of a new generation of cars that can combine some of the main advantages existing in current electric cars whilst eliminating some the main disadvantages, such as lack of range and long recharging times.
The idea behind this technology is that normal air can be used to store energy by cooling it to 190C, turning it into a liquid. When the liquid air is later warmed, it rapidly expands into a gas, creating high pressure that can drive the piston engine of a car, or generate electricity in a turbine.
It should also be noted though that whilst this technology may offer hope for a whole new generation of alternatively powered cars it allows offers the potential to be used for the powering of homes and factories in a much more enviromentally friendly way.
BBC News - Liquid air 'offers energy storage hope'
BBC News - Inventor's creation not just hot air
Liquid Air: An Efficient Energy Storage System