Mazda Motor Corporation is to deliver one dual-fuel RX-8 hydrogen-petrol rotary engine car to Japan??™s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) today.

The dual-fuel system enables the driver to select either gasoline or hydrogen fuel with the flick of a switch. METI will use the RX-8 Hydrogen RE in its daily operations. The delivery to METI will mark the eighth hydrogen rotary engine vehicle to be leased to government bodies and private enterprises and the first time that Japan??™s central government has adopted a hydrogen vehicle for its daily operations.

The only other vehicle besides Mazda??™s to use both hydrogen and gasoline in an internal combustion engine is BMW??™s Hydrogen 7, similarly used in small numbers as a technology demonstrator.

- Toyota??™s prototype plug-in hybrid Prius was approved for road trials by the Japanese transport ministry.

Source: [url=http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/01-08-07_7]Auto Industry[/url]