Mazda Delivers First Rotary Hydrogen Vehicles To Corporate Customer Fleets

RX-8 Hydrogen RE features a hydrogen or gasoline dual-fuel system

HIROSHIMA, Japan - March 25, 2006: Mazda Motor Corporation has delivered one RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicle each to its first two corporate customers for this model, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, and Iwatani International Corporation in Osaka, Japan. RX-8 Hydrogen RE cars are equipped with a rotary engine and feature a dual-fuel system that allows the driver to select either hydrogen or gasoline with the flick of a switch. The vehicles that have been leased to Mazda's first two corporate fleet customers are based on Mazda's original body design but with specially added company decals for each customer's use. The delivery of these vehicles for fleet use marks the world's first case of leasing an internal combustion engine vehicle that can use both hydrogen and gasoline as fuel.

Akihiro Kashiwagi, RX-8 Hydrogen RE development program manager, said, "We're pleased to deliver these hydrogen rotary vehicles for fleet use in these two companies, which are participating in the Japan Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Demonstration Project (JHFC) and are actively engaged in advancing further uses of hydrogen energy. And we are looking forward to hearing feedback from our customers about the cars. Mazda will continue its efforts to improve the performance of hydrogen-fueled rotary engine vehicles and do its part to help achieve a more environmentally friendly hydrogen energy society in the future."

Mazda's hydrogen vehicle development milestones

1991 Developed the first hydrogen rotary engine vehicle, HR-X

1992 Test drive of golf cart equipped with fuel cell

1993 Developed second hydrogen rotary engine vehicle, HR-X2 Developed test version of MX-5 equipped with hydrogen rotary engine

1995 Conducted Japan's first public road test with Capella Cargo equipped with hydrogen rotary engine

1997 Developed Demio (Mazda2) FC-EV

2001 Developed Premacy FC-EV and conducted first public road test in Japan (with methanol reformer fuel cell system)

2003 Announced Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen Rotary Engine vehicle development model

2004 Conducted the world's first public road tests of the RX-8 hydrogen rotary engine that can run on two types of fuel--hydrogen and gasoline