The UTV or ‘side by side’ market sector has for some time been the focus of some intense innovation in power systems.
The recent launch of a 2.0-litre petrol-engined UTV was quickly trumped by non-traditional drivetrains.
It’s become a question of who will do it first. After Segway showed its hybrid UTV recently, now there’s a prototype hydrogen powered off-roader.
Yamaha has revealed a prototype hydrogen powered YXZ at the Japan Mobility Show. Beyond the ‘right now’ of electric vehicles, many industry observers say hybrid and hydrogen hybrid is the future of motoring and motorsports.
Asian manufacturers are creating off-road competition race series with hydrogen, and Kawasaki has built a hydrogen-based KRX UTV.