The Tokyo Motor Show is Toyota’s chance to show how much the company is betting on hydrogen, all the way up to their flagship American model, the Lexus LS. This Lexus LF-FC previews what a no-gasoline S-Class rival could look like.
Now, the LF-FC concept is bigger and more dramatic than either the current Lexus LS (which debuted all the way back in the second term of the Bush Jr. presidency) or the current Mercedes S-Class that outsells it three-to-one, as Automotive News notes.
The LF-FC is four inches longer, four inches wider, and two inches lower than the existing LS. The styling is also an exaggerated take on the current model’s distinct-fender proportions.
And it’s got gigantic Mirai-esque taillights.
What’s really interesting though, is a centrally-mounted T-shaped hydrogen fuel tank (which reminds me of the Chevy Volt’s T-shaped battery pack), with a fuel cell powertrain at the back, and a set of electric motors up front.
At least that’s what Toyota says, in their very low-on-details release:
At the heart of the LF-FC is a high output fuel cell power system that energizes the rear wheels, and also sends power to two in-wheel motors in the front, making the LF-FC all-wheel-drive. This innovative drive system allows precise torque distribution control between the front and rear wheels, giving the full-size sedan exceptional dynamic handling and superior road stability. The strategic placement of the fuel-cell stack at the rear of the vehicle, power control unit at the front and T-formation configured hydrogen fuel tanks result in front and rear weight distribution optimal for a sporty sedan.
All the power that a fuel cell makes is electricity, so I don’t know why they make an electric up front/fuel cell in the back distinction.
But that’s probably why they’re the shaping up to be the leader in hydrogen propulsion and I’m just some guy who complains on the Internet.
Photo Credits: Toyota, I Mean Lexus
Contact the author at raphael@jalopnik.com.