In the heart of New York City, where the buzz never dies and history is layered into every block, there's a curious little pocket in Lower Manhattan called NoHo. Not long ago, the stretch around Lafayette Street had a gritty nickname—Gasoline Alley. It earned that name thanks to the cluster of auto shops and gas stations that once fueled the city’s traffic-choked hustle. But walk that same street today, and you'd be hard-pressed to find even a single gas pump. In fact, there’s only one gas station left in all of Lower Manhattan.
Yet just a stone’s throw from that old alleyway, a different kind of “gas station” is turning heads—and it’s not about oil at all. Welcome to The Fuel Store, a futuristic concept space by Brooklyn-based startup AirCo that’s reimagining how we think about fuel entirely. Instead of gasoline, it’s showcasing a wild idea: what if we could power the future using CO2?
Breathing New Life Into Carbon
Let that sink in for a second. AirCo, formerly known as Air Company, is flipping the script on climate change. Instead of seeing carbon dioxide as the villain of global warming, they’re using it as a raw ingredient—yes, literally sucking it from the air—and turning it into things like vodka, perfume, hand sanitizer, and now, synthetic fuels. All of this is part of a bigger mission: to show the world that our carbon problem might just be our energy solution.
Inside The Fuel Store, you won’t find oil-stained concrete or the scent of diesel. Instead, it’s more like stepping into a sleek, space-age gallery where fuel isn’t just something you pump—it's something you experience. AirCo is using this immersive space to educate and inspire people about their cutting-edge tech, giving us a glimpse into a cleaner, carbon-neutral future.
Big Moves, Big Backing
AirCo isn’t just playing around with sci-fi ideas—it’s backed by serious money and even more serious ambition. Since launching in 2017, the company has raised over $100 million in funding, including a $69 million Series B round in 2024. Oh, and they’ve got a $65 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, which is working with them on land, air, and sea fuel solutions. Not bad for a company with just under 120 employees, all hard at work in their Brooklyn R&D labs.
And when it comes to impact, fuel is the big fish. As AirCo CEO and cofounder Gregory Constantine puts it, “It’s one of the hardest industries traditionally to decarbonize.” He’s not exaggerating—transportation accounts for a whopping 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Aviation alone makes up 2% of global emissions.
Jet Fuel Made from Thin Air (Literally)
So how does it all work? In simple terms, AirCo captures CO2—often from industrial sources—and combines it with hydrogen. Then, powered by renewable energy, it transforms that mix into clean-burning fuel. The result is Airmade, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that’s already caught the attention of major players.
JetBlue has committed to buying 25 million gallons of Airmade over the next five years. Virgin Atlantic? They're in for up to 100 million gallons over ten years. Even Boom Supersonic, the company building supersonic passenger jets, wants in on the action.
And the Department of Defense? They're not just watching—they’re working with AirCo to deploy this tech for military transport across land, sea, and sky. If you’ve ever dreamed of jet engines running on recycled air, well… we’re already on our way.
Why This Matters
In a time when climate anxiety is at an all-time high, AirCo is offering something we desperately need: hope. Not just hope, but actionable innovation. They’re not just reducing emissions—they’re reusing them. And in doing so, they’re challenging the idea that progress and sustainability can’t go hand in hand.
So next time you find yourself in Manhattan, wander over to where Gasoline Alley used to roar. Step into The Fuel Store. Smell the future. And maybe—just maybe—you’ll start to see carbon not as a crisis, but as a resource waiting to be reinvented.