We initially saw this RX-8 back at NAIAS 2004 and marveled at the possibility of two cutting edge technologies coming together as soul mates – Rotary Engines and Hydrogen Fuel. Could it work? Will it happen? Or was it just a stunt to bolster Mazda’s ‘clean’ image in the shadow of other manufactures move to electric vehicles.
Well, the cat’s outta the bag and the car is on the road – well, at least it’s on the road in Norway. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. Norway has been one of the leading proponents of hydrogen fuel as a replacement for fossil fuels and a collaboration between Mazda and Norway’s ‘Hydrogen Road of Norway’ (HyNor) project is the perfect fit for real world testing. Right now 30 RX-8s are being tested with plans to expand the Hydrogen power plant to the Mazda Premacy (Mazda5) in the future.