A Southern California motorist drove off the lot of a Hyundai Motor Co dealership on Tuesday in a zero-emissions car touted by the automaker as marking the commercial debut of mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in the United States.

 

State energy and air-quality officials hailed the occasion in Tustin, California, about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Los Angeles, as a milestone in efforts to curb tailpipe pollution that accounts for about a third of California's greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Independent industry analysts were less breathless about the announcement, noting that other automakers, including Honda Motor Co Ltd and Mercedes-Benz, have already put fuel cell vehicles on the road, albeit in very limited numbers.

 

They said the relatively high cost of building the cars and extremely low number of hydrogen refueling stations would constrain the market for such vehicles for years to come. But they credited South Korean-based Hyundai with making a high-profile commitment to a promising technology.

 

As an added incentive for early adopters, the three-year, 36,000-mile lease term also come with unlimited free hydrogen refueling and free maintenance service at any of one of three participating dealerships in Southern California. The cars are not yet available for sale, company officials said.

 

With a driving range of 265 miles for each fill-up and minimal cold-weather effects, the vehicle compares favorably to plug-in battery electric cars. Refueling takes about 10 minutes.

 

The fuel cell produces power from hydrogen gas through a electrochemical process that involves no combustion or moving parts. Its only tailpipe emission is water vapor.

 

California aims to have 1.5 million zero-emissions vehicles, which include fuel cell cars, on its roads by 2025.