Welcome to NESR! Most features of this site require registration, including replying to threads, sending private messages, starting new threads, and uploading files. Click here to register.

Results 1 to 4 of 4

Lexus Hydrogen UTV / Side By

  1. #1
    Hypertarded
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    RI / CT border
    Posts
    2,954

    Lexus Hydrogen UTV / Side By

    Will never be made, but DAM!!
    I Rode in the Hydrogen Lexus UTV, and It's a Riot
    https://www.thedrive.com/news/i-rode...and-its-a-riot

    Car companies love building cool projects that we'll never be able to buy. They're usually just concept vehicles that can't even move under their own power, but every once in a while, a running prototype will come along to make you extra envious. Such is the case with the hydrogen-combustion Lexus ROV that I rode shotgun in last weekend at Fuji Speedway.

    And let me tell ya, it rips.

    I knew a little about the Lexus ROV when they introduced us to the engineers because it was revealed in Dec. 2021. It was a collaborative effort with tons of smart people from Lexus, Yamaha, and suspension supplier KYB working to make it happen. The result is a machine that performs as impressively as any gasoline-powered UTV.

    There was an ROV without its plastic bodywork parked under a tent that showed off the chassis, engine, and hydrogen fuel cell from a Toyota Mirai sitting behind the driver. It looks pretty standard aside from the special parts used to both store the H2 and deliver it to the 1,000cc Yamaha power plant, which makes about 80% of its gas power output in this application. The thing is, nearly every part was built using sustainable practices—even the shocks are filled with mineral oil and palm oil.

    I climbed into the passenger seat and gave the thumbs-up to signal I was ready. I really wasn't, though, because my eyes got big when we started at full throttle and immediately jumped over a small dirt hill. The exhaust was screaming just like it would in any other Yamaha YXZ1000, which is what the ROV is based on. From there it was an immediate left-hander up a hill.

    I'd been hearing this thing buzz around in the background all day as Lexus was giving rides to everybody who wanted one. There were deep ruts formed around the track by the time I strapped in and the ground was fairly soaked from rain the day prior. The wheelman still hucked the ROV around like it was his job, and even though I have a decent amount of experience in off-roaders like this, there's no way I could have driven like he did.

    The type of speed he carried through corners with big trees at the apex required confidence. Just as impressive as the hydrogen-burning engine were the KYB shocks, at least from a tangible performance perspective. We went first through a route that was marked "easy" and then later through a trail labeled as "difficult." The second lap was even faster and we blew through a section that looked to be a low-speed articulation test zone. Not for us, though—we took it flat-out.

    My hands were sweaty from hanging onto the grab bar when we finally parked. (It didn't help that Japan is maybe the most humid place I've ever been, and I'm from the Ozarks where the air is thicker than a half-pound hamburger). As for the driver, he was on to the next joyride, unphased.

    I would never expect Lexus to actually enter the powersports segment. That said, it's encouraging to experience something as fun as this knowing it uses relatively future-proof materials. There's the obvious hangup of hydrogen supply, especially in the backcountry, and there's a chance that will stop this from ever becoming consumer technology. Still, if Toyota succeeds in lengthening the internal combustion engine's lifespan with hydrogen tech, I can't help but think enthusiasts will stand behind it at the very least.
    Very cool tech, I know everyone is electric electric electric, but I hope they keep pushing the hydrogen tech forward..

    1 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  2. #2
    Angry Gumball RandyO's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2001
    Location
    Farmington, NH
    Age
    71
    Posts
    18,026

    Re: Lexus Hydrogen UTV / Side By

    is it ICE hydrogen, or fuel cell electric ? I know that most hydrogen vehicles are fuel cell electric, but I was reading about a ICE hydrogen a few days ago

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    RandyO
    IBA#9560
    A man with a gun is a citizen
    A man without a gun is a subject LETS GO BRANDON

  3. #3
    Lifer jimmycapp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    NW CT
    Posts
    2,186

    Re: Lexus Hydrogen UTV / Side By

    Looks like it's got a big muffler back there, so ice.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  4. #4
    Lifer Kurlon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Waterboro ME
    Age
    46
    Posts
    13,519

    Re: Lexus Hydrogen UTV / Side By

    Or you could read the article and have it spelled out right there for ya?

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •