A team led by Professor Jau Tang at Wuhan University has created a new kind of plasma engine that works without any fuel or batteries. The technology uses ordinary air and electricity to make thrust. Professor Tang and his team have built a system that turns air into plasma using microwave energy.
The plasma, which is an ionized form of air, can push objects forward just like a normal jet engine but without burning fuel. “It’s like turning the air around us into power,” said Professor Tang. “If this can be scaled up, we may one day fly planes and drive cars without any pollution or fossil fuel.”
This system is based on a process similar to how lightning works. It uses microwaves at 2.45 GHz, the same frequency that powers kitchen microwave ovens. When the air is compressed and exposed to the microwaves, it gets ionized — meaning the atoms lose electrons and form plasma. That plasma becomes superheated and shoots out of the engine, producing clean thrust with no smoke, no fuel, and no chemical waste.
In early tests, the researchers managed to lift a one-kilogram steel ball into the air using only electricity and compressed air. This experiment showed that the system can produce real thrust even under normal atmospheric conditions. Until now, plasma engines have mostly been used in space where there is no air. “Our tests show that air and electricity are enough,” explained Tang. “We don’t need rocket fuel, jet fuel, or batteries.”
The new design is different from other green propulsion systems like hydrogen fuel cells or battery-powered motors. Hydrogen needs complicated storage systems, while batteries make vehicles heavier and reduce travel range. This plasma engine removes both problems. It could become a third option for clean travel — one that uses electricity directly to move vehicles without needing stored energy or fuel.
Scientists say that if the plasma engine can be powered by renewable electricity such as solar or wind, it could completely change how we travel. Planes, cars, and trains could all become zero-emission, helping to fight global warming and reduce carbon footprints.
However, the project is still in the experimental stage. Right now, the plasma engine needs high-voltage microwave power to run continuously. This makes it difficult to scale for large vehicles. But Tang’s team is already working to make it more efficient. “We need to improve the power system so that it can work with less energy but produce the same thrust,” Tang said.
Plasma propulsion has been studied for years, especially in space exploration. NASA and other agencies have used plasma thrusters to move satellites and spacecraft in the vacuum of space. But using plasma engines on Earth’s surface is a challenge because the air pressure makes it difficult to keep the plasma stable. Tang’s breakthrough shows that it’s finally possible to make it work under normal conditions.
During the experiments, the plasma jet was able to produce enough thrust to lift small objects, proving that the principle works. The next goal is to scale up the system so that it can power larger machines. The researchers believe that with stronger microwave sources and better designs, they could soon reach the power level of a small jet engine.
The team also hopes to combine the system with renewable grids. If the electricity comes from green energy, the plasma engine would be completely emission-free, producing no greenhouse gases at all. That would make it more sustainable than electric cars, which still depend on large batteries that are difficult to recycle. “We are still at the beginning,” Tang said. “But this shows us that clean, electric flight without batteries or fuel is not science fiction anymore. It’s science.”
