U.S. courier Federal Express Corp. on Wednesday became the first company in the world to use a fuel-cell vehicle commercially by deploying a pollution-free auto for deliveries, company officials said.

The HydroGen3, developed by General Motors Corp. of the United States, left the carrier's Ariake cargo distribution center in Koto Ward carrying documents, parcels and other items to hotels and other destinations in central Tokyo.

Powered by liquid hydrogen, the vehicle can travel about 400 km on a 68-liter tank, according to the Tokyo branch of Federal Express.

The firm will gather data on fuel efficiency and other factors for the new vehicle for a year, the FedEx officials said.

Fuel-cell vehicles are widely viewed as one of the most promising pollution-free vehicles for the future.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. launched the world's first commercially produced fuel-cell vehicles last December, delivering them to government agencies under lease contracts.