Mazda unveiled a new hybrid vehicle on Tuesday that uses hydrogen fuel to power an electric motor. The Japanese automaker said it will be available for leasing in Japan next year, the Associated Press reports.
The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, shown to reporters ahead of its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month, operates on a rotary engine, which runs almost silently because it doesn’t have pistons like standard engines.
Hydrogen is combined with oxygen from the air to power the vehicle. It emits only water, rather than pollutants that have been attributed to global warming. The new hybrid runs on hydrogen stored in a tank, but it can switch to gas when hydrogen runs out.
Like other global automakers, Mazda, an affiliate of Ford Motor Co., has been working on hydrogen vehicles as consumers grow more interested in automobiles that don’t rely on fossil fuels.
