Niedermayer Receives New Honda FCX Clarity

In front of the arena that bears their name and logo on Wednesday morning, Honda presented Ducks captain and defenseman Scott Niedermayer with the keys to a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle – the FCX Clarity.

The vehicle runs off electricity through hydrogen, which is stored in a tank within its confines. The Honda FCX Clarity’s only emission is water vapor and in comparison to gasoline-powered automobile, its fuel efficiency is three times greater. For an environmental enthusiast like Niedermayer, getting the chance to drive the car is a thrill.

“The environment, a healthy planet, all these things have been fairly important to me,” said Niedermayer in front of a crowd gathered in the parking lot of the Ducks home arena. “It’s a passion I have. To be able to be given this opportunity from Honda to drive a fuel cell car like this is very exciting for me, that is for sure.”

Honda, a leader in alternative fuel vehicles, first developed a pure battery electric vehicle back in the 1990s. At the same time, the company created a natural gas car. From there, they progressed toward the start of advanced fuel cell electric vehicle program in 2002 with the delivery of the original FCX to the city of Los Angeles. The first all-new FCX Clarity was distributed in June 2008.

“There is a huge expectation because of our heritage of being a very environmentally conscious company that we will be at the forefront,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of auto sales for American Honda. “That is the stuff that gets you up every morning to push even harder to fulfill the needs of customers. We will not let them down.”

Honda felt selecting Niedermayer to be the latest driver of the FCX Clarity was an easy decision, considering his background with the environment and his success on the ice.

“We look for people who are passionate about the environment,” Mendel said. “It’s probably the best way to get high profile people who actually live a green lifestyle and care about the environment to utilize vehicles in a mainstream way. Scott is yet another very important lynchpin in that. It’s certainly a coup to him for being named to the Canadian team. It couldn’t have come at a better time and we’re very proud to have him driving the car.”

Already the owner of one hybrid vehicle, Niedermayer is pleased the FCX Clarity allows him to further reduce his carbon footprint. “To be able to have a car like this that has zero emissions is a pretty big step,” he said. “It’s hard to believe that as I’ll be driving down the road, there will be a bit of water vapor coming out of the car and that will be it.”

Delivering the FCX Clarity to Niedermayer is just the latest in a thoroughly successful partnership between Honda and the Anaheim Ducks. It is bond that dates back to October 2006 when the Ducks home arena officially became known as Honda Center.

“We were reminiscing today about the very first event we had here at Honda Center, the unveiling of the name,” Mendel said. “That partnership has just strengthened over time and this is yet another piece, a very important piece for us, Honda Center and Southern California.”

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