Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. and its truck-making affiliate have joined a project to develop an environmentally friendly vehicle capable of moving both on roads and railways, an official said Monday.
1 v) R; c4 \& c9 R8 K Toyota and affiliate Hino Motors Ltd. will take part in the development of a new model of a road-rail vehicle originally created by railway operator JR Hokkaido, a Hino spokesman said.2 Z5 |5 I% d3 q$ H1 p
The two auto companies are providing technology and materials to strengthen the front part of the "dual mode vehicle" so that it can carry up to 25 people.
* T! h$ q$ A' `* k' ` e0 i The railway firm is already developing several prototypes of road-rail vehicles and has begun test drives.
$ b; u/ V& l& `: @ The operator, which operates railways in the nation's northern island of Hokkaido, has developed the vehicle as part of its effort to utilize railways now out of service due to a sharp decline in passengers in the region.- V( w# k" Y$ C. I5 o( s
The vehicle has eight wheels -- four iron wheels for railways and four rubber tyres for roads -- and is powered by a diesel engine. It is said to burn only one fourth of the fuel of conventional diesel-powered cars.
) p5 F& u, N3 v "Our contribution is expected to be another step toward more practical use of the dual mode vehicle," a Hino spokesman said.
% j! G- m3 p2 H( @$ s; W5 d The latest vehicle is expected to be completed by mid-June and will be displayed at a welcome event for this year's Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido in July for which climate change is high on the agenda. |
发表于 2012-8-14 11:29:10
