Mazda to lease gasoline-hydrogen car in Japan (CNN/Reuters)

[eppur_se_muova]

Mazda to lease gasoline-hydrogen car in Japan

Car's rotary engine will be able to burn either gasoline or hydrogen.

February 15, 2006; Posted: 1:15 p.m. EST (1815 GMT)

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. said on Wednesday it will begin leasing a dual-fuel car that can run on both hydrogen and gasoline in the auto industry's latest effort to reduce oil consumption in vehicles.

Most major auto makers are developing zero-emission hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars as a potential alternative to today's conventional gasoline and diesel engine cars, but believe they are decades away from mass production due to high development costs and lack of infrastructure.

Mazda said the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, based on its popular RX-8 sports car, gets around these problems by running on gasoline in the absence of a hydrogen fueling station, and using existing engine parts and production facilities to lower costs.

The car is powered by Mazda's iconic rotary engine and can switch between hydrogen and gasoline fuel with the flick of a switch. It can cruise for a maximum 62 miles on hydrogen and 41 miles on gasoline it said.

more at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/02/15/mazda_hydrogen_car.reut/index.html

[phantom power]

1. Seems odd, that it's range is so short.