Yamaha already has its CP3 hydrogen engine ready

2023-05-22 17:37:57

Japanese manufacturers are getting their act together to explore an emissions-free future that isn’t just limited to electric motorcycles. Just a few days ago Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha signed a collaboration agreement to explore together the development of combustion engines that use hydrogen as fuel, an element that is called to be the salvation for those ‘petrolheads’ who are not willing to depend solely and exclusively on a plug to enjoy his great passion

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and has the advantage that when it reacts with oxygen, it it only produces water as waste. Therefore, it does not emit polluting or greenhouse gases. There are two main types of hydrogen engines: internal combustion and fuel cell, the latter intended exclusively to charge the battery of an electric vehicle.

internal combustion hydrogen engines They are the ones that work in a similar way to a gasoline one, but burning hydrogen instead of a fossil fuel. The hydrogen is stored in a high-pressure tank and injected into the combustion chambers, where it mixes with air and is ignited by a spark. The resulting explosion moves the pistons and generates mechanical energy, moving the vehicle through the drive system.

The biggest handicap that this type of engine faces today is its high cost, both for the manufacture of the vehicle and for the infrastructure necessary to produce and distribute hydrogen, an element that has low energy efficiency since it Much energy is lost in the processes of production, transport and conversion of hydrogen.

While manufacturers are looking for solutions to make hydrogen production cheaper, their R&D teams have been designing what will be the engines of the future for some time, and Yamaha already has some advantage. The Iwata factory has presented a preview of its ‘αlive’ project, a program that explores “new mobility experiences” and which includes among them the development of two new propellers clearly inspired by one of its most successful engines, the three-cylinder CP3 from the Yamaha MT-09.

αlive RX as extended range support for electric vehicles

The first engine presented by the Japanese brand is called αlive RXand it is an engine that employs synthetic fuel for its operation. The initial objective of this drive is not to move any vehicle, but to increase the range of action of any electric vehicle by recharging its batteries in full gear. Yamaha has set an example of an EV drone with capacity for two passengers, ensuring that, thanks to this electric motor, it could cover trips of up to two hours.

The engine is, aesthetically, very similar to the CP3 of the Yamaha MT-09, although logically it does not have a transmission. According to the brand of tuning forks, delivers 88 kw (118 hp) of power, practically the same figure as the CP3, which declares 87.5 kW (119 hp); according to Yamaha, this new engine “It is compatible with next-generation fuels and incorporates technologies aimed at achieving a carbon-neutral society, thus increasing the possible scenarios for the use of electric mobility.”

αlive H2E, the hydrogen version of the CP3

The second engine that Iwata have presented is called αlive H2Eand as its initials reveal, It is a hydrogen-powered engine that does not emit CO2. Yamaha has been very concise about the information on this engine, and to date it has not given figures for power, displacement, nor do we know the benefits or the vehicles for which it will be intended.

However, by his own concept, It is logical that this engine ends up reaching the two-wheel sectorthus offering a vehicle capable of offering the same sensations as a gasoline combustion motorcycle with the advantage of not emitting polluting gases.

Read also: Bautista encouraged Pedrosa to try Superbikes: “The Pirelli go very well with light riders”

Yamaha is scheduled to provide more details on its αlive engine range next week, coinciding with the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2023 which will host the city of Yokohama starting next May 24.