Toyota and Yamaha, along with Mazda, Kawasaki and Subaru, have jointly committed in the recent past to continue investing in internal combustion engine technology. Against this backdrop, the five Japanese two- and four-wheeler companies appeared at a joint press conference late last year to publicly express their interest in “expanding fuel options”, while other manufacturers are embracing across the board. for all electric.
It is not too surprising then that Yamaha and Toyota have unveiled a new V8 hydrogen engine that in practice it is a continuation of both the evolution of the second Corolla powered by this fuel and participating in the Super Taikyu racing championship in Japan, and the presentation of a prototype GR Yaris with an internal combustion engine that uses hydrogen.
The Yamaha hydrogen engine for Toyota is based on the 5-liter Lexus RC F
This new hydrogen engine is based on the corresponding 5-liter Lexus RC F and of course it has some changes. The most important concern the injectors, the tested and the intake manifold. According to Yamaha, which led the development of this unit on behalf of Toyota, it produces up to 450 CV at 6,800 rpm And 540 Nm of torque at 3,600 rpm.
“We are working to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050”, explained Yamaha Motor president Yoshihiro Hidaka. “At the same time, ‘Motor’ is part of our company name and, as a result, we have a great passion and commitment for the internal combustion engine.” And he added: “Hydrogen engines have the ability to be zero-emission, keeping the internal combustion engine alive. “Working with companies with different corporate cultures and areas of specialization, as well as increasing the number of our partners, is the way we want to move forward in the future.”
Despite Toyota’s efforts to seek alternatives to electric motors, there are currently no clear indications on when this unit finds its way into a commercial model. The problems are certainly not a few, starting with a refueling network that is not up to par, which could prevent cars powered by this “green” fuel from taking off.
However, referring to the performance and performance characteristics of the hydrogen-powered Toyota V8 engine, Yamaha executives explain the characteristics: “We began to see that engines that use only hydrogen as fuel had very fun performance characteristics. Hydrogen engines have an inherently friendly feel that makes them ideal to use even without resorting to electronic aids. Everyone who came to test the original car was a bit skeptical, but got out of the car with a big smile on their face. We believe there is truly enormous potential in the unique characteristics of hydrogen engines instead of just treating them as replacements for petrol engines ”.