‘Shark Tank’ video: will Zero Pollution Motors’ AirPod change travel?

While we do not have an extended preview on a particular “Shark Tank” product this week (at least one released by the show), we do want to go more in-depth about a particular one in AirPod, mostly because this is to us one of the most fascinating ideas that we’ve seen on the show. It is a car that runs on compressed air, and potentially will be cheaper to operate and maintain that the standard electric or gas-powered automobile.

There are a ton of things to unpack here, but we should start here by saying that the odds of this business leaving the tank with a deal are low. They don’t really have any sales in America, they are licensing something that already exists overseas, and this is also something that will require a huge investment to get off of the ground. History is also not on their side. They tried a campaign on Indiegogo, and it ended up being a massive under-achiever. All of these are warning signs, and we wonder what the sharks will think about their idea of building micro-factories, including their starting point in Hawaii, to take on individual regions at a time.

When it comes to function, we firmly believe that this is a good idea. Take, for example, if you live in downtown Los Angeles or somewhere else that is constantly jam-packed with traffic. Most likely, you are never going to be going faster than 50 miles per hour, and if you are traveling to and from work, you don’t always need to have a ton of people in the car with you. So long as everything lives up the the hype and you’re okay with trading in your larger vehicle, you could save a ton of money with this and do something good for the environment.

Here is the other problem, though, and why we think they may be struggling to have AirPod interest at a high level: It’s hard to convince consumers to change to an unknown when you are asking for $10,000. People want convenience, and that includes going to the nearest gas station being able to go on highways if they choose. It’s also a status thing to have a cool car. These are things that, without proper education, are unavoidable. There may not be enough time or money to get a mass consumer audience aboard this.

We’ll have a chance to see more on the air tomorrow, so stay tuned! Also, click here to read another “Shark Tank” preview, or sign up now to get some further TV scoop on all we cover courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)