Toyota commissions Yamaha Motor to develop hydrogen-fueled engine

Toyota has commissioned Yamaha Motor to develop a hydrogen-fueled engine, with the president of the latter stating that his firm was dedicated to the interior combustion engine.  

In an announcement towards the top of final week, Yamaha mentioned the 5.0-liter V8 engine can be developed for vehicles and primarily based on the one utilized by the Lexus RC F coupe, with alterations made to its cylinder heads and injectors, amongst different issues.

In response to Yamaha, the unit is ready to ship as a lot as 450 horsepower at 6,800 revolutions per minute. The corporate mentioned it had been engaged on a hydrogen engine for vehicles for roughly 5 years.

Yamaha Motor President Yoshihiro Hidaka mentioned that whereas his firm was aiming to attain carbon neutrality by the 12 months 2050 it additionally had “a powerful ardour for and degree of dedication to the interior combustion engine.”

“Hydrogen engines home the potential to be carbon-neutral whereas maintaining our ardour for the interior combustion engine alive on the identical time,” Hidaka went on to say.

Final week’s assertion builds on one from Nov. 2021 when Yamaha Motor, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Toyota, Subaru and Mazda launched particulars of what they described as a “problem to develop gas choices for utilizing inside combustion engines.” It was at this announcement that the V8 engine developed for Toyota was proven to the general public.

The notion of powering an inside combustion engine with hydrogen is just not a brand new one. Toyota has already developed a GR Yaris which has a 1.6-liter ICE and makes use of hydrogen as its gas.

In response to the corporate, the GR Yaris makes use of the identical powertrain as a hydrogen-powered Corolla Sport. The agency has labeled each of those autos as “experimental.”

Companies similar to BMW have additionally produced autos such because the BMW Hydrogen 7. In response to the German automaker, the Hydrogen 7 used an inside combustion engine and was in a position to run on gasoline or liquid hydrogen. Manufacturing of the automobile started in 2006 and a restricted run was made.

Utilizing hydrogen to energy an inside combustion engine is totally different to hydrogen gas cell know-how, the place gasoline from a tank mixes with oxygen, producing electrical energy. Because the U.S. Division of Vitality’s Various Fuels Knowledge Middle notes, gas cell autos emit “solely water vapor and heat air.”

Against this, hydrogen ICEs do produce emissions. “Hydrogen engines launch close to zero, hint quantities of CO2 … however can produce nitrogen oxides, or NOx,” Cummins, the engine maker, says.

Hydrogen ICEs are additionally “much less environment friendly” in comparison with gas cell electrical autos, in keeping with the Various Fuels Knowledge Middle.

Whereas there’s pleasure in regards to the potential of hydrogen gas cell autos and firms similar to Hyundai, BMW and Toyota have all developed vehicles primarily based on the know-how, others inside the trade have taken a distinct view.

In June 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted “fuel cells = fool sells,” including in July of that 12 months: “hydrogen fool sells make no sense.”

In February 2021, the CEO of Germany’s Volkswagen Group additionally weighed in on the topic. “It is time for politicians to simply accept science,” Herbert Diess tweeted.

“Inexperienced hydrogen is required for metal, chemical, aero … and shouldn’t find yourself in vehicles. Far too costly, inefficient, sluggish and tough to rollout and transport. In any case: no #hydrogen vehicles in sight.”