As the first Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen-powered vehicle rolled off the assembly line, the company announced the first five American lease customers for its fuel cell vehicles. The vehicles will be manufactured in Japan. To provide its customers with sales and service support, considered critical to mainstream acceptance of the new technology, American Honda has announced the establishment of the first network of dealers. The identified dealers include Power Honda Costa Mesa, Honda of Santa Monica, and Scott Robinson Honda in Torrance, California.

The 100-kilowatt fuel cell stack is manufactured at Honda Engineering Company, where the several hundred cells required for each fuel cell stack are being mass produced. The vehicle features a lithium-ion battery pack making Honda the first OEM to produce a vehicle with a lithium-ion battery pack. Honda expects to produce a total of 200 of the fuel cell vehicles in the next three years.

New American customers for the Clarity were early enthusiasts who communicated their passion for the environment and their interest in hydrogen vehicles to Honda. "Our customers are true pioneers and leaders in the effort to bring fuel cell technology to the marketplace," according to John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. The initial criteria for the fuel cell vehicles included proximity to hydrogen refueling stations, driving patterns and vehicle needs. These new Honda FCX Clarity drivers will use the hydrogen refueling stations in Irvine, Santa Monica, and Burbank.