Technology / Motors
Japan's toilet maker unveils 'poop-powered' bike
29 Aug 2012 at 07:44hrs | Views
A female rider drives Japanese toiletry goods maker Toto's eco-friendly motorcycle
Tokyo - Japan's best-known toilet maker on Wednesday unveiled a "poop-powered" motorcycle that can travel as far as 300km on a tank filled with animal waste.
Billed as the world's first waste-powered vehicle, the three-wheeler has a toilet in place of a regular seat and huge paper roll at the back.
But as a young female model climbed aboard for a test drive, toilet giant Toto was quick to point out that she would not supply the "gas".
"The biogas it uses as fuel is not made from human waste. It's made from livestock waste and sewage," said Kenji Fujita, a company spokesperson in a Tokyo suburb.
"We hope to raise awareness among customers about our green campaign through development of environmentally-friendly products such as water-saving showerheads and water-saving toilets," Fujita added.
The company - which makes toilets equipped with an array of features including heated seats, water jets with pressure and temperature controls, and ambient background music - has no plans to commercialise the motorcycle.
Billed as the world's first waste-powered vehicle, the three-wheeler has a toilet in place of a regular seat and huge paper roll at the back.
But as a young female model climbed aboard for a test drive, toilet giant Toto was quick to point out that she would not supply the "gas".
"The biogas it uses as fuel is not made from human waste. It's made from livestock waste and sewage," said Kenji Fujita, a company spokesperson in a Tokyo suburb.
"We hope to raise awareness among customers about our green campaign through development of environmentally-friendly products such as water-saving showerheads and water-saving toilets," Fujita added.
The company - which makes toilets equipped with an array of features including heated seats, water jets with pressure and temperature controls, and ambient background music - has no plans to commercialise the motorcycle.
Source - AFP
