Honda has started leasing the FCX Clarity fuel cell car in Japan earlier today, delivering the first zero-emission car to the Ministry of the Environment.

Initially, Honda will lease the FCX Clarity to government agencies and certain corporate entities in Japan, with up to 200 customers taking delivery of the car in the United States and Japan over the next three years. Honda has leased the vehicle in the US since July 2008.

The FCX Clarity is Honda's next generation, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle. Driven by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated by a fuel cell, the car's only emissions are heat and water. Its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern petrol engine.

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