Photo: Yamaha
Not really wanting to let go of the traditional design of a combustion engine, but still planning on following the trend and helping in the fight with climate change, some carmakers are hard at work devising alternative solutions. Among them, Japanese companies Toyota and Yamaha.
Despite being among the first to launch an electrified vehicle on the market, Toyota has so far kind of resisted the idea of going full electric. After all, we just got the carmaker’s first EV, the bZ4X, more than a decade after others launched their products.
It does have however a sort of tradition hydrogen-powered cars, with the Mirai being at the forefront of this push. More are likely to follow, now that, together with Yamaha, the company is developing a new hydrogen-powered engine.
The initial details announced by Yamaha in November last year, point to a 5.0-liter V8 being constructed, based on the powerplant already used in the Lexus RC F.
Changes to the injectors, cylinder heads, intake manifold, among others, will make the unit capable of running on hydrogen and spit out 450 hp at 6,800 rpm and a maximum 540 Nm of torque at 3,600 rpm.
“Hydrogen engines house the potential to be carbon-neutral while keeping our passion for the internal combustion engine alive at the same time,” Yamaha Motor president Yoshihiro Hidaka.
“Teaming up with companies with different corporate cultures and areas of expertise as well as growing the number of partners we have is how we want to lead the way into the future.”
There’s a good chance this particular engine will not be the last of its kind. Aside from Yamaha and Toyota, several others, including Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Subaru Corporation, and Mazda are involved in “conducting collaborative research into possible avenues for expanding the range of fuel options for internal combustion engines.”
The full scope of the combined goal of these Japanese powers to keep traditional engines alive can be found here.
It does have however a sort of tradition hydrogen-powered cars, with the Mirai being at the forefront of this push. More are likely to follow, now that, together with Yamaha, the company is developing a new hydrogen-powered engine.
The initial details announced by Yamaha in November last year, point to a 5.0-liter V8 being constructed, based on the powerplant already used in the Lexus RC F.
Changes to the injectors, cylinder heads, intake manifold, among others, will make the unit capable of running on hydrogen and spit out 450 hp at 6,800 rpm and a maximum 540 Nm of torque at 3,600 rpm.
“Hydrogen engines house the potential to be carbon-neutral while keeping our passion for the internal combustion engine alive at the same time,” Yamaha Motor president Yoshihiro Hidaka.
“Teaming up with companies with different corporate cultures and areas of expertise as well as growing the number of partners we have is how we want to lead the way into the future.”
There’s a good chance this particular engine will not be the last of its kind. Aside from Yamaha and Toyota, several others, including Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Subaru Corporation, and Mazda are involved in “conducting collaborative research into possible avenues for expanding the range of fuel options for internal combustion engines.”
The full scope of the combined goal of these Japanese powers to keep traditional engines alive can be found here.
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