Mazda Starts Leasing Rotary Hydrogen Vehicles - Japanese Authorities Approve Leases with Two Companies in the Energy Sector.Tokyo, Japan, Feb 17, 2006 - (JCN JCN Japan Corporate News JCN Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience JCN Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing JCN Journal of Christian Nursing JCN Job Control Number JCN Journal of Child Neurology JCN joint communications network (US DoD) Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation received permission from Japan's Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT MLIT Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan) MLIT Money Laundering Investigation Team ) on February 10, 2006, to begin leasing the RX-8 Hydrogen RE to its first two corporate customers. These vehicles, equipped with a rotary engine rotary engine, internal-combustion engine whose cycle is similar to that of a piston engine, but which produces rotary motion directly without any conversion from reciprocating motion. , feature a dual-fuel system that allows the driver to select either hydrogen or gasoline gasoline or petrol, light, volatile mixture of hydrocarbons for use in the internal-combustion engine and as an organic solvent, obtained primarily by fractional distillation and "cracking" of petroleum, but also obtained from natural gas, by with the flick of a switch. Mazda has started limited leasing of the vehicles and today concluded leases with two energy-related companies, marking the first lease contracts of a hydrogen-powered rotary engine equipped vehicle in the world. Delivery of the vehicles is scheduled to take place in late March 2006. Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. and Iwatani International Corporation, both companies operating in the energy sector, have leased one vehicle each. By the end of 2006, Mazda plans to lease about 10 RX-8 Hydrogen RE cars to local government and energy companies. In 2003, Mazda exhibited a RX-8 hydrogen rotary vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show The Tokyo Motor Show (東京モーターショー) is a biennial auto show held in October-November at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. and received permission from MLIT in October 2004 to conduct public road tests for ongoing development and practical application of this advanced technology. Mazda undertook 29 months of development from the time of announcing the concept model to achieving the breakthrough, real-world rotary hydrogen vehicle A hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its on-board fuel for motive power. The term may refer to a personal transportation vehicle, such as an automobile, or any other vehicle that use hydrogen in a similar fashion, such as an aircraft. . Employing a dual-fuel system, the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE can run on either high-pressure hydrogen gas or gasoline. This combination offers excellent convenience because it can be driven in remote areas where hydrogen fueling stations are not readily available, easing driver concerns about running out of fuel. In addition, this system boasts great environmental friendliness--zero emission of carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. (CO2) gas and near zero nitrogen oxide Noun 1. nitrogen oxide - any of several oxides of nitrogen formed by the action of nitric acid on oxidizable materials; present in car exhausts pollutant - waste matter that contaminates the water or air or soil (NOx) emission when fueled by hydrogen--together with the natural driving feel of an internal combustion engine Internal combustion engine A prime mover, the fuel for which is burned within the engine, as contrasted to a steam engine, for example, in which fuel is burned in a separate furnace. . It uses engine parts and production facilities that already exist in Mazda's inventory, so this innovative engine can be built with a high degree of reliability at a relatively low cost. The standard monthly lease price is 420,000 yen with tax included (400,000 yen/month without tax) which is almost half the monthly lease price of a fuel cell vehicle already available in Japan. With the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, Mazda continues to advance the possibilities of the internal combustion engine and improve the performance of hydrogen-fueled rotary engine vehicles. It represents another Mazda contribution to a more environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] hydrogen energy society of 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 runs on two types of fuel--hydrogen and gasoline
About Mazda Motor Corporation Mazda Motor Corporation (TSE See Tokyo Stock Exchange. TSE 1. See Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). 2. See Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE). : 7261) started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and Europe for over 30 years. Overseas sales account for more than half of total turnover. Mazda has two main production sites in Japan and 19 overseas facilities. Overseas sites include joint ventures based in the United States, and in Thailand with Ford Motor Company, Mazda's largest shareholder. Source: Mazda Motor Corporation Contact: Mazda Motor Corporation Mr K. Yoshitake yoshitake.k@tky.mazda.co.jp +81-82-282-1111 Copyright [c] 2006 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network K.K. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion