Tokyo '09: Suzuki Showcases Swift Plug in-Hybrid and SX4 Fuel Cell Vehicle

At the Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki exhibited its latest 'green' concept studies for the future including a Swift with Plug-in Hybrid and an SX4 Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV). The hybrid version of the Swift is a supermini aimed at city dwellers that travel around 20 km (about 13 miles) a day and has been designed to be driven primarily on electric power.

It is equipped with 600cc engine that is used to charge a lithium-ion battery that powers an electric motor if capacity level drops. The batter can also be charged through any domestic plug socket.

Suzuki did not release any performance or fuel economy figures nor did it say if it intends to produce the Swift Plug-in Hybrid in the future.

The other 'green' study on display at Suzuki's Tokyo Motor Show booth is the is the SX4 FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) which combines a General Motors-sourced high performance fuel cell with a Suzuki developed high pressure hydrogen tank and a compact capacitor that is used to recover energy during braking and using it to reduce fuel cell loading under acceleration.

The SX4 FCV is currently under test on public roads in Japan as Suzuki plans to to commercialize the car in the near future.

Suzuki Swift Plug-in Hybrid

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Suzuki SX4 Fuel Cell Vehicle