The Green Optimistic

We’ve been talking about hydrogen fuel cells here on The Green Optimistic, and we found out that they’re good for producing electricity. But what about burning the hydrogen itself, to produce mechanical work? Mazda is in the process of testing a car that runs on both hydrogen and gasoline (it’s a dual fuel system). They’re allowed to test the car on the public roads from Japan.

The engine’s hybrid system increases its power by 40%, and it’s said to increase hydrogen fuel range to 200 kilometers, (135 miles).  This is accomplished with the addition of an electric motor to increase the performance.

Mazda has also announced that it will display and demonstrate its hydrogen rotary vehicles at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in July 2008. The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid will debut alongside the previously released RX-8 Hydrogen RE at the summit’s Environmental Showcase.

Plant-derived materials used for some of the vehicle’s interior plastic parts and seat covers are also featured in the new car, a part of what Mazda calls its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom environmental plan.