A two-day exhibition of environment-friendly vehicles opened Saturday in Tokyo, featuring about 100 low-emission vehicles including fuel-cell cars.
Eco Car World 2002, being held at Yoyogi Park in central Tokyo, features fuel-cell cars, electric cars, hybrid gasoline-electric cars and vehicles fueled with natural gas, organizers said.
It is the first time that fuel-cell cars have been fully displayed at the exhibition. The event has been held every year since 1986.
In an opening address, Environment Minister Hiroshi Oki urged participants to consider ways to harmonize life and the environment.
"Global warming has become a major issue. We live in an era in which we must review our lifestyle," Oki said.
Visitors were paying close attention to the Kaz, an eight-wheel electric vehicle developed by Hiroshi Shimizu, a professor at Tokyo's Keio University.
Though it has not yet been put into practical use, the Kaz performs as well as ordinary cars. It travels at a maximum speed of 311 kph, but produces less carbon dioxide than ordinary vehicles. Carbon dioxide is a major cause of global warming.
Another exhibition on the environment is being held near the site. That event features environmental conservation and waste recycling.