Tesla-fying Air Capture

DAC could save us all, but few know what it is.

DAC, or Direct Air Capture, is a rapidly-growing technology that removes carbon from the air around us. Seems important considering emissions aren’t slowing down fast enough. Our EVs still require fossil fuels to charge and our solar panels power a fraction of our homes. The things we’re familiar with work, but they’re not enough. One of the things we’re not familiar with is DAC.

Interesting for some, jargon for most.

DAC can be done a handful of ways, but most follow the below process. Like most enviro-tech, it’s just scientific jargon until someone humanizes it; it becomes familiar when someone makes it attractive.

Teslas, for example, are attractive. It’s a sexy stand-in for the “boring” stuff — traction motors, converters, thermal systems, etc. DAC is sexy too, assuming you’re a chemical engineer. Unfortunately, the only manifestation of DAC exist as large-scale plants, but they’re hidden; stowed away in remote parts of British Columbia and Iceland.

We need to remove carbon from the air around us. Now. Higher demand, faster development, and more investment are possible if we — the public — becomes aware and begins advocating. So the question becomes: How do we get people excited about DAC?

We created three conceptual designs, including an eco-conscious lifestyle accessory, an appliance that turns your home CO2 emissions into cash, and an array of buses designed to (literally) turn heads.

Concept 1: Sans

Traverse the Earth Without Leaving a Footprint

Sans is a stripped down, fully functional carbon capture pack powered by your movement. A retro-future attention-grabbing Apollo 11-inspired design, Sans represents shifting tides in our shared priorities; a glimpse at our blue marble through a new lens; a giant leap for mankind. All it takes is one celebrity endorsement, one trip down the red carpet, and DAC becomes a household name.

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Concept 2: HomeCap

A smart appliance that turns your breath to bank.

Air conditioning accounts for 100M tons of CO2 released each year. HomeCap is an appliance that connects to your HVAC unit, using exhaust to kickstart the carbon capture process. HomeCap is a status-signal for homeowners — one with utility kickbacks and renewable energy credits. To speed up development, we’ll partner with companies like Aircela and Noya. A campaign will promote pre-orders for a limited supply, generating buzz from tech, trade, and mass media publications.

Concept 3: 12 Buses

A campaign that’s impossible to ignore.

Current DAC deployments look like any other piece of industrial machinery sitting next to a highway. In “12 Buses,” we turn an otherwise unassuming technology into a spectacle. Using flipped buses to flip the narrative on DAC, this activation forces rubber-necking onlookers to reconsider their role in climate change, and understand air capture’s role in mitigating it.

Imagine you’re driving down the highway when a series of billboards come into view.