According to an Auto Express interview with Lexus Europe general manager Alain Uyttenhoven, Lexus will introduce a fuel cell vehicle by 2020:
Alain Uyttenhoven, head of Lexus Europe, told Auto Express that Lexus is adapting the hydrogen-fuelled technology developed by parent company Toyota and that there are only a few hurdles left to overcome.
“The problem is packaging the technology into a normal sized car,” he told us. “It will fit into an SUV. We just need to get the right level of performance for a premium car.”
The LF-FC concept at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show was, by all definitions, a fuel cell version of the next-generation LS sedan, and expectations are the Lexus flagship will be the first model to get a hydrogen powertrain.
(Fuel cell infrastructure will get a big boost in Japan as it will be a headline transportation technology of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. With Toyota as the top sponsor of the sporting event, what better vehicle than a fuel cell LS to shuttle dignitaries around?)