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Kawasaki and Yamaha are working together to mass-produce hydrogen-powered engines.

Turns out the answer isn’t purely electric.

EJ Punsalang EJ Punsalang on Jan 04, 2022
Kawasaki and Yamaha hydrogen-powered engines.

Do you believe that electric motorcycles are the only future of two-wheeled transport? Well, as things currently stand, it’s clear that the industry is moving towards that direction. However, several industry giants have been working tirelessly to ensure that the internal-combustion engine doesn’t go the way of the dinosaurs. For instance, we know that Ducati, as well as Porsche, both have initiatives committed to the research and development of alternative fuels. These companies are doing this alongside their electrification initiatives.

Now, the Japanese are also in the biofuels game with hydrogen. Kawasaki has long expressed its intentions of developing hydrogen-powered engines. It’s only now, that the race to developing the future of mobility has started, that Kawasaki is taking the hydrogen game a lot more seriously. Interestingly, Yamaha has joined in on the party, too, and has agreed to team up with Kawasaki to further advance its R&D for hydrogen-powered two-wheelers. After all, two big brains will always be better than one, and we know for a fact that the innovative think tanks in both Kawasaki and Yamaha will be able to stir something up in no time.

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Kawasaki Hydrogen Motorcycles

In 2020, Yamaha made a promise to future-proof its model lineup by gradually introducing hybrid and electric models. We’re already seeing this happen in other countries such as India, with the Ray-ZR hybrid scooter. We also know that Yamaha is expected to unveil an all-electric scooter very soon. That being said, it looks like Yamaha is well on its way to achieving its goal of becoming 100% carbon-neutral by the year 2050. As for hydrogen power, Kawasaki has an undeniable ace up its sleeve, as the company has already begun building hydrogen-powered machinery in the sea and aircraft. It also has plans of building a hydrogen turbine generator in Japan.

Once we see production-ready hydrogen-powered two-wheelers, expect the industry to capitalize on this and roll out numerous models alongside all-electric powered ones. It’s likely that early hydrogen-powered two-wheelers will take the form of small scooters and commuters, and gradually work their way to bigger, more performance-oriented machines. Likewise, Honda and Suzuki have also expressed their intentions of joining in on the hydrogen party. This isn't really surprising, as all manufacturers will have to agree on a set of standardized specs for their engines in order to make sure that they can all run on the same type of hydrogen fuel. 

 

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