A Qatari research centre unveiled a low-emission and low-fuel-consumption hybrid car Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN climate talks taking place in the gas-rich country, it said in a statement.

"Designed and developed in Qatar, the engine captures thermal waste energy that is utilised to generate electric energy to run hydrogen fuel cells using the potable water as a source for the gas," the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) said in a statement.

A thermoelectric generator uses a thin photovoltaic film to recover heat from exhaust gases in order to power the fuel cell.

This system reduces pollutant emissions by more than 50 percent, according to the developers, while "design improvements are under way to further reduce fuel consumption".

"Any car can be adapted to accommodate the system as it doesn't alter any electro-mechanical systems," it said.

"Our car produces electricity at no cost by capturing thermal waste energy, reducing costs and eliminating the need for an external source of electricity," said GORD chairman Yousef al-Horr in the statement.

"Bulky compressed-hydrogen cylinders are a thing of the past, as our concept accomplishes the production of hydrogen by using water through fuel cells integrated within the car," said Horr.

According to developers, the new system can be used with gasoline or compressed natural gas (CNG) engines.

GORD is a non-profit governmental research subsidiary of Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company.

Qatar, the world's biggest per-capita emitter of greenhouse gases, is hosting the 12-day meeting in Doha to combat climate change.