It seems to be all the rage these days to make things materialize out of thin air. Just this past week we reported on a British company that was making fuel that way and now the French are getting in the act with their Hybrid Air system that operates on compressed air, gasoline or a combination of the two. Car batteries are making headlines too with Toyota and BMW working on a lithium air battery that will allow a major part of the energy-making process to come from oxygen. Don’t forget forever-talked about, seldom-realized hydrogen fuel cell technology with its latest iteration by Renault-Nissan, Ford and Daimler who are joining together with hopes of bringing a vehicle to market in as little as four years. All these pale, however, in comparison to the Wind Explorer vehicle built by Evonik in NJ that actually has a portable wind turbine and a parachute-type kite that moves it along on the slightest of breezes. That last one is a little too funky for me, but I could see quite a few politicians taking a liking to it.