Honda Motor Co. revealed Tuesday a new fuel cell-powered vehicle that performs almost as well as gasoline-powered cars.

The FCX-V4 allows a maximum speed of 140 kph and maximum running distance of 300 km, compared to 130 kph and 180 km for the previous fuel cell-powered model, FCX-V3, the company said.

The increase in running distance is enabled by newly designed, high-pressure hydrogen fuel tanks that can sustain up to 350 atmospheres, the automaker said. The hydrogen fuel tanks are installed under the passenger cabin floor in order to make more luggage space.

The new vehicle also features new collision-safety measures in the front and the rear.

Honda has been participating in the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a public testing project of fuel cell vehicles. Through the joint program, Honda has so far accumulated 10,000 km in driving data.

Honda aims to begin the commercial production of fuel cell vehicles in 2003.

Hybrid motor upgrade

Honda Motor Co. unveiled Tuesday a new hybrid engine system for installation in its Civic Hybrid car, scheduled to debut on the domestic market in December.

The latest Integrated Motor Assist system employs a gasoline-powered engine as its main power source, with an electric motor providing extra power when needed.

It offers improved efficiency over the previous system, which was adopted for the Insight Hybrid model, Honda said.

The new hybrid engine incorporates Honda's 1.3-liter iDSI lean-burn combustion technology, along with a new cylinder-idling system, which provides better fuel efficiency, the automaker said. The Civic Hybrid is scheduled to be released in the United States in spring, the automaker said.