If you get thirsty while driving, you may soon be able to drink water generated by a system that's built right into your car. The technology could reportedly also provide water for the onsite rinsing of dirty work equipment, or for keeping automotive sensors and engine parts clean.
Announced this week at CES 2019, the Watergen Automotive AWG system starts by drawing outside air into what's known as an atmospheric water generator (hence the AWG in the name).
That air is filtered to remove dust and pollutants, and then directed through a heat exchange and cooling system, causing moisture in the air to condense into liquid water. That water is collected and fed through a multi-stage filtration system, plus minerals are added to it for "a fresh and healthy taste."
The treated water ends up in an integrated reservoir, in which it's continuously circulated. When the driver wants some, they just use a dispenser that's built into the front console.
According to Watergen, the system should additionally allow vehicles to run better, by purifying, cooling and dehumidifying incoming air. The company is currently working with Ford, looking at how the technology could be packaged into vehicles. Ford previously developed a similar experimental system of its own, known as On-the-Go H2O, which harvests drinking water from a car's existing air conditioning system.
There's currently no word on how much water Automotive AWG is capable of producing, or when we might see it start appearing in cars. If you really like the basic idea, though, you might want to check out Watergen's Genny, which is an atmospheric water generator designed for use in the home.
Source: Watergen