Golf carts aren't exactly cars, but we couldn't resist talking about the Yamaha Drive H2. It's a concept based on the existing Drive2 Concierge 4 golf cart, but with an interesting powertrain. It's being touted as being the world's first golf cart to have an internal combustion engine feeding on hydrogen.
Introduced this week at the PGA Show in
Orlando, Florida, the Drive H2 is equipped with a pair of high-pressure
hydrogen tanks, each capable of holding 25 liters of fuel. One is located under
the driver's seat, and the other is mounted on the back of the rear seat. The
idea behind this concept is to demonstrate that a conventional engine can
continue to exist even as companies push toward decarbonization.
Yamaha has already built generators and
recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs) with hydrogen-burning engines that
don’t emit CO2 during the combustion process. It’s a technology currently being
pursued by another Japanese brand: Toyota. The automotive behemoth has built GR
Yaris and GR Corolla race car prototypes that kept the turbocharged 1.6-liter
gasoline engine but modified to run on hydrogen.
Earlier this month, AVL Racetech from
Austria showcased a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine fueled by hydrogen. Currently
in development, the four-pot hit the dyno where it made 405 horsepower at 6,500
rpm and 510 Newton-meters of torque at 4,000 rpm. It’s no
wonder that Toyota believes hydrogen can save sports cars with combustion
engines.
Meanwhile, Yamaha says it will continue to
develop and test hydrogen combustion engines. The goal is to have them ready
for a product that people will be able to buy. Until that happens, the standard
Drive2 Concierge 4 golf cart will soldier on with a regular ICE and a purely
electric setup. The former model uses a 357-cc, single-cylinder gas engine
while the latter has a 6.7-horsepower electric motor.
