Toyota and Yamaha partner on hydrogen V8
First a GR Yaris, now a 5.0 V8 - Toyota confirms its faith in hydrogen power
Toyota and Yamaha working together on an engine must be good news. Because the last time it happened (or the last time we remember, at least), was the Lexus LFA's 4.8 V10, which can legitimately claim to be perhaps the greatest engine ever found in a production car. Therefore even the early development stages of a new project are notable.
Once more, Lexus is involved. The engine you see here is the 5.0-litre V8 found in cars like the RC F and LC (the 2UR-GSE to those that know their 2JZ from their 2ZZ), modified by Yamaha to run on hydrogen. Just like with the GR Yaris revealed at the end of last year, in fact. Similarly to that car, the 2UR (which originally featured some Yamaha-designed parts) has been modified extensively to accommodate the alternative fuel, with changes to the inlet manifold, cylinder head and injectors.
There's plenty to be encouraged by with this new engine, not least the power. Yamaha claims the hydrogen V8 is producing 450hp at 6,800rpm, which isn't far off the petrol version's 477hp at 7,100rpm. Torque is actually rated at a little higher than standard, with 398lb ft at 3,600rpm, against 391lb ft from 4,800rpm-5,600rpm.
There's the noise to think about, too, which has always been a selling point of these V8-powered Lexuses - even if long gear ratios have kept the best bits largely out of reach. Takeshi Yamada, part of Yamaha's R&D team that's been developing hydrogen engines for around five years, described the sound of a combustion engine as "a challenge we can sink out teeth into". He added: "I personally want to pursue not just performance but also a new allure for the internal combustion engine that the world has yet to see." That's a reference to 'Kanno Seino', a Japanese term for sensual or exhilarating performance. Which we'd all argue is key, surely, as what's lacking from so many low carbon powertrains is not performance, but rather the sensual and exhilarating bit.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though, as this news doesn't immediately mean hydrogen V8s for everyone that wants one. The technology is still being tested in Toyota's Super Taikyu Corolla touring car, and hydrogen remains just one pillar of its strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Toyota knows the risks of putting all the eggs in one basket, having launched the Prius 25 years ago as a tech trailblazer - but only adding a plug-in option after rivals already offered it. Still, this hydrogen engine is another interesting development, and proof that the deal signed last November - Toyota, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Subaru, and Mazda agreed to work on "expanding the range of fuel options for internal combustion engines in the quest for carbon neutrality" - is already bearing fruit.
Of course, you can forget about a confirmed date for a hydrogen V8 going in a Lexus, but it's proof of the concept if nothing else. We'll leave the final word to Yamaha Motor president Yoshihiro Hidaka: "We are working toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050... "At the same time, 'Motor' is in our company name and we accordingly have a strong passion for and level of commitment to the internal combustion engine." Hear, hear, Mr Hidaka.
Hydrogen is absolutely part of our future energy needs, at the very least it will serve as a storage solution for energy generated by green means that can't be used immediately.
It almost certainly, alongside E fuels will be used in heavy vehicles and transport.
Whether it is paste, power cell or as pressurised it is coming.
People are enthusiastic about it and people heaven forbid like the idea of a HICE, if technology and inventions allows people to have a HICE run by hydrogen paste so be it.
If hydrogen is used in heavy transport so be it. Or if it is merely used as a temporary storage solution before being used when energy runs short so be it.
Batteries are not the only answer, battery vehicles aren't a substitute for a personality which so many seem to act as if such and battery tech isn't the be all and end all. So many here seem to take peoples enthusiasm personally or as an affront. It is utterly bizarre.
If I would like an HICE Car that is less efficient than a BEV but has negligible - (let's be honest) emissions then so be it. We all choose our cars for many reasons and they all have different efficency. If you have chosen your car solely on efficiency well done you, but you probably aren't best suited to a motoring forum for enthusiasts to whom a vehicle is more than just efficiency.
Smart Energy International
Hydrogen paste – a new fuel option for vehicles
The hydrogen based Powerpaste is being developed as a possible fuel option for small vehicles such as electric scooters and motorcycles.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are fast emerging as an alternative to battery electric vehicles. But hydrogen is not yet an option for small vehicles such as electric scooters and motorbikes due to the requirement for a reinforced tank to withstand the 700 bar pressure surge during refuelling.
A possible solution emerging is the hydrogen-based paste, named the Powerpaste, which is being developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden.
The paste is made out of magnesium, which is combined with hydrogen to form magnesium hydride in a process conducted at 350oC and five to six times atmospheric pressure. The finished paste is stored in a cartridge and on a vehicle it can be released by means of a plunger and mixed with water from an onboard tank to generate the hydrogen gas required for the vehicle fuel cell.
The process appears to be efficient with about half the required hydrogen content coming from the Powerpaste and half from the water.
Moreover, it has the prospect of being both simple and safe to use. Refuelling is a matter of replacing an empty cartridge with a new one and refilling a tank with water. And as the Powerpaste begins to decompose at around 250oC, the vehicle can undergo extended use in the sunniest conditions.
“Powerpaste stores hydrogen in a chemical form at room temperature and atmospheric pressure to be then released on demand,” explains Dr. Marcus Vogt, research associate at Fraunhofer IFAM.
“Powerpaste has a huge energy storage density, substantially higher than that of a 700 bar high pressure tank. And compared to batteries, it has ten times the energy storage density. This means that Powerpaste offers a range comparable to, or even greater than, gasoline.”
In addition to two wheeled vehicles, the Powerpaste could provide an option for cars, delivery vehicles and range extenders in battery-powered electric vehicles. It also could find use in applications as diverse as large drone range extension or for energy requirements for campers.
With no need for a substantial delivery infrastructure, the Powerpaste also could be of interest for use in rural areas.
Fraunhofer IFAM is currently building a production plant for Powerpaste at the Fraunhofer Project Center for Energy Storage and Systems ZESS at Braunschweig in northcentral Germany with an ouput of up to four tons per year."
It can be claimed in the thread that no one is explicitly saying BEV good Hydrogen bad, but that is clearly not when looking at the constant interest taken in pointing out all the 'factual flaws' of hydrogen ad nauseum. If people are interested in a. Different energy source even if less efficient at this stage so bloody be it. It's not personally harming you.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff