Golf carts might not be like regular cars, but the Yamaha Hydrogen-Powered Golf Cart Drive H2 is a concept built on the existing Drive2 Concierge 4 golf cart but with a unique engine. They’re saying it’s the world’s first golf cart with an internal combustion engine running on hydrogen.
This beautiful Yamaha hydrogen-powered golf cart was unveiled at the PGA Show in Orlando, Florida; the Drive H2 comes with two high-pressure hydrogen tanks, each holding 25 liters of fuel. One is under the driver’s seat, and the other is on the back of the rear seat. The whole point of this concept is to show that regular engines can still be a thing even as companies work towards making things more eco-friendly.
Yamaha has made generators and off-road vehicles (ROVs) that use hydrogen engines, and these engines don’t release CO2 when they burn fuel. Another big Japanese company, Toyota, is also exploring this tech Honda and GM unveiled their hydrogen engine.
Austria’s AVL Racetech recently presented a turbocharged 2.0-liter hydrogen-powered engine. Still in the works, they tested it on the dyno, and it cranked out 405 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 375 pound-feet (510 Newton-meters) of torque at 4,000 rpm.
Toyota believes there is no future era exclusively for electric cars; instead, hydrogen engines will play a significant role in the upcoming times. That’s why Toyota has now started working again on combustion engines.
At the same time, Yamaha has mentioned that they will keep working on and testing hydrogen combustion engines. They aim to get them ready for a product that people can purchase.
While that’s in the works, the regular Drive2 Concierge 4 golf cart will remain available with a traditional gas engine and a fully electric option. The gas-powered one has a 357-cc, single-cylinder engine, and the electric version is equipped with a 6.7-horsepower electric motor.
