With the continuous push for “net zero” and the proposed ban on the sale of new gasoline motorcycles by 2035, interest in future fuels has never been greater.
But with very few “green” motorcycles still available and, of the “Big Four” Japanese brands, only Kawasaki offering electric and hybrid motorcycles, it is still not clear what types of planet-friendly motorcycles we can expect from the world’s largest manufacturers and when they will be ready to hit the road.
In May, Yamaha announced a partnership with Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki for the development of future hydrogen combustion engines, with additional support from Toyota and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Then, in early December, it was also announced that Yamaha will unveil a hydrogen-powered V8 engine prototype at the Miami International Boat Show 2024, from February 15 to 18.
“Hydrogen is obviously a next-generation technology, but it requires a lot of energy [to produce],” de Seynes told MCN. “So, until the world is producing more energy, cleaner energy, green energy, hydrogen is a dream.”
“We know how to make a scooter work with hydrogen, how it functions, and we can manage it. But making it a reality for our customers is another story. And we are not alone.”
These challenges also include storage, with gaseous hydrogen currently requiring three times more space than a conventional fuel tank – a luxury that is not available in many types of motorcycles if we want the bike to have a realistic range.
Similarly, if we want to use it as a liquid, its natural boiling point is -252.9°C, which means it has to be stored cryogenically, causing weight and packaging issues.
De Seynes continued, “That is also why we are participating in this [hydrogen] cooperation project, because it is an advanced technology and it is better to be shared.”
“It makes sense to have a working group and work together until the market is ready. But in the short term, the internal combustion engine is the best technology you can get. That’s a fact.”
The head of Yamaha also believes that the environmental efficiency of conventional combustion engines could be increased by switching to synthetic fuel – keeping the same engines, but reducing the levels of pollution created during the gasoline production phase.
“The Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association conducted a study to assess the benefits of synthetic fuel and found that if we use synthetic fuel instead of mineral fuel – because we don’t have to search for the resource, extract it, transform it, and transport it to the location where we consume the fuel – it represents 50% of the CO2 emissions of the fuel even before it is used.
“Therefore, we can reduce the CO2 emissions of the [current] technology, of the same engines, by 50% if we produce synthetic gasoline with green energy near the location where it will be consumed.”
And he continued: “I think we will continue to improve the efficiency of combustion engines. This is the direction of the Euro5 and Euro5+ standards, and Euro6… making them cleaner and cleaner.”
Source:https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2023/december/yamaha-boss-discusses-future-of-motorcycling/
