Heatherwick’s autonomous EV concept also cleans up polluted city air
Turning our cars into a giant network of air purifiers might help move the dial on urban pollution ...
Key takeaways
- Named Airo, the electric car will be fitted with a HEPA – high-efficiency particulate air – filtering system that will actively clean pollution.
- The car, which is set to go into production in 2023, was designed for IM Motors – a car brand created by Chinese car company SAIC Motor, online retailer Alibaba Group and the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Group.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2021) 'Heatherwick’s autonomous EV concept also cleans up polluted city air', 311 Institute, 30 July. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/heatherwicks-autonomous-ev-concept-also-cleans-up-polluted-city-air/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Recently Elon Musk launched a $100 Million XPRIZE with the aim to encourage entrepreneurs everywhere to develop new ways to capture Carbon Dioxide from the air with the objective of eliminating the gases harmful effects on the climate. Now, getting one step closer to that vision London-based Heatherwick Studio has unveiled its concept for the Airo electric car for IM Motors that will "vacuum up pollutants from other cars."
Revealed today at the Shanghai Motor Show, the vehicle for newly formed Chinese car brand IM Motors was designed by Heatherwick Studio as its first car.
Named Airo, the electric car will be fitted with a HEPA – high-efficiency particulate air – filtering system that will actively clean pollution. It will have both autonomous and driver-controlled modes.
Check out the trailer
"Airo isn't simply another electric car that doesn't pollute the air," said Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio."Instead, using the latest HEPA-filter technology, it goes further by also vacuuming up pollutants from other cars as it drives along."
The car has been designed with a flexible interior with rotating seats so that it can be reconfigured into a "multi-functional room." With the seats facing each other a four-leaf table can be unfolded to create a dining space or a screen extended to watch films or play games.
The car's interior can also be turned into a bedroom, a little like the autonomous travel suite concept I discussed a while ago, as the contoured seats fully recline to create a double bed. In this mode, the glass roof can be made opaque using the "latest technology" to create a private space.
"Designed to simultaneously address the global space shortage, Airo is also a multi-functional room with extra space for dining, working, gaming or even sleeping," said Heatherwick.
"As a new room for our lives, with a changing view, Airo is a car intended to transport us to a cleaner and better future."
Alongside the car, Heatherwick Studio has also designed a charging station that it describes as "oozing with character". These curved stations will be built from weathered steel and have a retractable wire for charging.
The car, which is set to go into production in 2023, was designed for IM Motors – a car brand created by Chinese car company SAIC Motor, online retailer Alibaba Group and the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Group.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Turning our cars into a giant network of air purifiers might help move the dial on urban pollution ...
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Elonmusk xprize.org
- A new ev brand is born chinas im motors is officially launched backed by alibaba autofutures.tv
- Shanghai Motor Show autoshanghai.auto-fairs.com
- Index immotors.com
- Heatherwick Studio heatherwick.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 30 July 2021. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2021). Heatherwick’s autonomous EV concept also cleans up polluted city air. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/heatherwicks-autonomous-ev-concept-also-cleans-up-polluted-city-air/
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