Four legendary Japanese brands have come together to team up against the rest of the automotive industry. What they have committed to work on has the world amazed. The four brands in question are Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. All four have incredible reputations on their own. They have teamed up to form a new organization solely focused on the advancement in hydrogen engine technology. The new partnership will be known as HySE, which stands for “Hydrogen Small Mobility and Engine Technology.”
Will the hydrogen engine prove to be the future of the automotive industry?
The automotive industry is one of the worst polluters in the world. So the pressure and responsibility of exploring alternative fuel sources falls on their shoulders. The emergence of the EV sector was the proof that the world’s car makers needed to push them into the alternative fuel sector. With many companies investing huge amounts of resources and money into the field with varied results.
The damage that the fossil fuel industry has had on the climate has become ever more evident in recent decades. The natural disasters the world is facing is evidence that something needs to change. And the car manufacturers of the world are listening to the demands of their loyal customers. The manufacturing process of the EV has proven to be almost as harmful as the industry its trying to replace.
So the world is focusing its energy and a substantial amount of resources on the hydrogen engine. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. However, collecting and storing it has proven a challenge. The idea behind the new Japanese partnership is that we simply have not invested enough into the hydrogen research and development. The partnership is move away from the competitive nature of the automotive market.
What exactly will these Japanese brands be focusing on?
The responsibility and tasks are being shared between the respective partners. According to their plans, Honda will lead the effort to research model-based development of hydrogen-powered engines. Honda will focus more on the theoretical implications and possibilities of the models that will feature the hydrogen engine that the partnership will develop. They have adapted their US approach too.
Suzuki will spend more time focused on an element study on functionality, performance, and reliability of hydrogen-powered engines. Their key focus being those three areas. The functionality, performance and reliability of the hydrogen engines need to be on the same levels as their gasoline and electric powered counterparts. Suzuki has a great deal of expertise in the area.
While they do that the task of testing the practical applications of the hydrogen powered engine falls to Yamaha and Kawasaki. They will have the more hands on task of testing the actual prototypes that the partnership comes up with. The appeal of a hydrogen engine has many factors, the biggest of those by far is the fact that the only emission that comes out of a hydrogen engine is water vapor. Making it ideal for our zero-emission plans.
Is the world ready for the hydrogen powered engine of the future?
While advancements in other sectors in the automotive industry are promising, the hydrogen sector is by far our best and closest to the gasoline industry. The novelty of the electric vehicle has begun to wear off, and the world is ready for the next step in personal mobility solutions. Whether that be the hydrogen engine remains to be seen. The HySE have stated that their primary focus will be on producing small engines for motorcycles at first, eventually leading to the larger engines we are all looking for.
