Japan has sealed a pact that will see its four biggest motorcycle brands join forces. With the main focus being on hydrogen powered engines and the infrastructure needed to implement it on a large scale. The four brands each have their own history of making reliable motorcycles that last a lifetime. They have decided to join forces and push the limits of what is possible with a hydrogen powered engine. The four brands that have decided to join forces are Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. All four together will form a new organisation known as HySE, or Hydrogen Small Mobility and Engine Technology.
Can the four iconic brands lead the automotive sector in innovation?
All of the brands mentioned have had motorcycles that effectively ruled the market for a long time. Their only competition was each other. The Japanese became the global leader in small, affordable motorcycles that could be sold in some of the poorest regions of the world and make a huge profit. The decades long supply chain that the Japanese have created allows them to produce their motorcycles for a fraction of the cost of their competitors.
The world is facing an energy crisis and is looking to the major manufacturers to provide an alternative. The reliance on fossil fuels has had a disastrous effect on the planets environment. With the climate crisis causing a range of natural disasters in Japan, one can understand their persistence on researching and developing an alternative fuel source that is not so harmful to the earth.
With these four huge manufacturers joining forces, their collective resources could have a great effect on the pace of the innovation they are after. Each of them have had their own individual adventures with hydrogen in some way. But the idea that they should join forces and share the cost and responsibility of innovation was truly a masterful move.
Who is going to be focusing on what in this new partnership?
Honda will lead the research of model based development. Which means that they will design new motorcycles that could utilize the new hydrogen powered engines. Honda has been a global leader in the past decade in exploring multiple possible avenue’s for the use of hydrogen in their products. They currently sell hydrogen fuel cell cars only in California. They have made some progress on their own.
Suzuki’s main focus will be more of a studying nature. They will be responsible for studying the functionality, performance, and reliability of hydrogen powered engines. They have spent the best part of two decades studying the potential of a hydrogen powered engine for their scooter. And have recently conducted tests and unveiled it to the public.
Lastly, Kawasaki and Yamaha will focus their efforts on the practical testing of actual prototypes of hydrogen engines. So each major manufacturer has a task that works hand in hand with their partners and will surely fast track the innovation expected to come from these four brands joining forces. This has the potential to change the sector for the foreseeable future.
Will Japan become a global leader in the alternative power sector?
The emergence of the electric vehicle and the popularity it experienced, points to the fact that the world is ready for an alternative to gasoline. The transport sector is making significant changes to how people and products are moved around. While the free market encourages competition, these four iconic brands have done something different and joined their collective efforts towards a singular goal. They are committed to hydrogen being the replacement for not only the regular gasoline vehicle, but also the EV. We will soon find out if they can together compete with companies such as Tesla.
