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Mazda starts leasing hydrogen car to 2 energy companies+
(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)HIROSHIMA, Feb. 15_(Kyodo) _ Mazda Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will lease two of its RX-8 Hydrogen RE car with a dual hydrogen-gasoline fuel system to two Japanese energy-related companies in late March.
Idemitsu Kosan Co. and Iwatani International Corp. will be the first users of the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, which is based on the rotary engine RX-8 sports car.
Another 10 RX-8 Hydrogen RE cars will be leased to Hiroshima Prefecture, other local governments, and energy companies by the end of this year
"This will give us a great advantage in a transitional period until hydrogen stations and other infrastructure is established," said Kenji Morimoto, chief researcher at the company's technology research center.
The monthly leasing price will be 420,000 yen, almost half of that for fuel-cell vehicles made by Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., Mazda said.
Using gasoline and high-pressure hydrogen gas, the RX-8 Hydrogen RE can run for about 650 kilometers in one filling. The driver can switch between the two fuel systems with the flick of a switch.
The car emits no carbon dioxide when driving on hydrogen gas, the company said.
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