Skip to main content

Hot Seat

A Japanese manufacturer of toilets has assembled a trike that is powered by biogas as a promotional tool. This vehicle features a toilet bowl on which the driver sits. The toilet is thankfully not connected and is for aesthetic purposes only. The rm, TOTO, has called its vehicle the ToiletBike Neo Project, which forms part of the TOTO Green Challenge, the rm's aim at reducing CO2 emissions from bathrooms by 50% by 2017, compared with levels recorded in 1990. Other interesting features of the ToiletBike Ne
April 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A Japanese manufacturer of toilets has assembled a trike that is powered by biogas as a promotional tool. This vehicle features a toilet bowl on which the driver sits. The toilet is thankfully not connected and is for aesthetic purposes only. The firm, 4921 TOTO, has called its vehicle the ToiletBike Neo Project, which forms part of the TOTO Green Challenge, the  rm's aim at reducing CO2 emissions from bathrooms by 50% by 2017, compared with levels recorded in 1990. Other interesting features of the ToiletBike Neo include residual light imagery that allows the rider to write messages in the air as it is driven by, while it can play music to entertain spectators. In addition, the toilet is able to talk, with functions including fortune-telling, stock-quote-reading and weather-forecasting. This biogas fuelled and motorised toilet has been driven around Japan as part of the  rm's promotional campaign, presumably by a driver who is not easily embarrassed. 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Black is green: the bitumen sector rises to the mobility challenge
    April 14, 2020
    Asphalt may be black most of the time, but the bitumen sector is green and getting greener, says Siobhan McKelvey, head of Eurobitume.
  • Komatsu launches next-generation WA475-11 and WA485-11 wheeled loaders with joystick steering controls
    April 10, 2025

    Komatsu Europe has premiered its new next-generation WA475-11 and WA485-11 wheeled loaders, which the manufacturer says represent a leap forward in performance and efficiency.

    At the heart of new Dash 11 generation wheeled loaders is a newly developed Komatsu diesel engine which is characterised by extremely high torque in the low-speed range. This new engine is combined with a Komatsu-designed hydro-mechanical-transmission (HMT), resulting in excellent performance, power reserves, fuel efficiency and ease of operation for all transport and loading tasks.  

  • Fuel alternatives for the future
    July 25, 2022
    Engine firms are working to ensure engines can run on alternative fuel types
  • Crushing and screening advances introduced
    June 10, 2019
    New developments in crushing and screening equipment as well as washing technology will deliver benefits for materials production - Mike Woof writes Competition is tough in the market for quarry material processing equipment, with key firms introducing new systems that are said to boost capacity and performance. Firms offering crushing and screening equipment have expanded their respective ranges, offering additional capabilities for these segments. Mobility and versatility have been key factors in the d