Honda Delivers FCX Clarity Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle to 2010 Canadian
Olympic Hockey Team Captain Scott Niedermayer

Four-time Stanley Cup champion, Anaheim Ducks captain and environmentalist becomes first professional athlete to lease Honda's zero-emissions vehicle

ANAHEIM , CA, Jan. 7 /CNW/ - Honda delivered a zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle to its latest customer - 2010 Canadian Olympic hockey team captain Scott Niedermayer . Also a team captain for the Anaheim Ducks National Hockey League team, Niedermayer is a leader both on and off the ice, promoting an environmentally responsible lifestyle and protection of natural resources.

"My love for nature and the outdoors developed while growing up in Canada and I hope the generations after me get to experience nature as I have," said Scott Niedermayer . "Everyday actions, like driving the zero-emissions Honda FCX Clarity, will help to make this dream a reality."

Honda's FCX Clarity produces electricity onboard from hydrogen via Honda's innovative V Flow fuel cell stack with water vapor as its only emission. Significant advances include exhilarating performance, futuristic sedan packaging and a driving range of up to 400 kilometres. FCX Clarity's fuel efficiency is three times that of a comparable, modern gasoline-powered automobile.

"Honda's FCX Clarity demonstrates our global commitment to developing zero-emissions vehicles," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada Inc., "and having drivers such as Scott Niedermayer behind the wheel of a Honda FCX Clarity is a great way to reach out to a new audience, which we hope will inspire others to consider more environmentally responsible products and lifestyle."

Niedermayer and his wife, Lisa, reside in Orange County, California, with their four sons. The family enjoys the outdoors together by camping and mountain biking. Their love of nature has inspired the family to seek a greener lifestyle that includes changes such as adding insulation around the family home and installing a radiant barrier on the roof to conserve energy. Niedermayer, a native of Cranbrook, B.C., already carpools to games with his fellow teammates and promotes a recycling program around his team's dressing room.

Honda's advanced fuel cell electric vehicles have been tested and proven through a series of successful partnerships over the last seven years with various fleet users and retail customers. A small but growing network of hydrogen fuel stations in Southern California allows for vehicle refueling in about five minutes and offers a clean, domestic energy supply for transportation. Honda has gained extensive experience from the deployment of several generations of its fuel cell electric vehicle technology with the ultimate goal of achieving the mass-market commercialization of zero-emissions fuel cell vehicles.

The Honda FCX Clarity was named the 2009 "World Green Car" at the New York International Auto Show. It was chosen from an initial entry list of 22 contenders nominated by 59 World Car jurors from 25 countries worldwide.

Now in its 40th year of operation in Canada , Honda Canada manufactures the Honda Civic sedan and coupe, the Acura MDX and ZDX, and the Canadian-exclusive Acura CSX at its two plants in Alliston, Ontario, in addition to producing fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engines at its engine plant. Since 1986, Honda has built more than 5,300,000 cars and trucks at its Ontario assembly facilities. More than half of all vehicles sold in Canada last year were made in Canada .

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