Japan Toilet Maker Unveils 'Waste-powered' Motorbike

Aug. 29, 2012
The biogas fuel is from livestock waste.

Japan's toilet giant TOTO unveiled on Wednesday a  motorcycle that can travel as far as 180 miles 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.

"The biogas it uses as fuel is not made from human waste. It's made from livestock waste and sewage," Kenji Fujita, a company spokesman said.

"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 commercialize the motorcycle.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012

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