Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1500384
Going Hydrogen Y amaha Motor, Honda Motor, Kawasaki Mo- tors and Suzuki Motor received approval from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to form a technological research asso- ciation called HySE (Hydrogen Small mobility & Engine technology) for developing hydrogen- powered engines for small mobility. Small mobility vehicles include motorcycles, Japan-originated mini-vehicles, small marine vessels, construc - tion equipment, drones, etc. In addition to the four motorcycle manufacturers, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Toyota Motor will support the associa - tion as special members. "To realize a decarbonized society, a multi-path- way strategy to address various issues in the mo- bility sector is necessary, rather than focusing on a single energy source," read a combined release from the manufacturers. "Against this backdrop, research and development targeted at commer - cialization of mobility with engines powered by hydrogen is gaining momentum. "However, the use of hydrogen poses technical challenges, including fast flame speed and a large region of ignition, which often result in unstable combustion, and the limited fuel tank capacity in case of use in small mobility vehicles. "In addressing these issues, the members of HySE are committed to conducting fundamental research, capitalizing on their wealth of expertise and technologies in developing gasoline-powered engines, and aim to work together with the joint mission of establishing a design standard for small mobility's hydrogen-powered engine, and of advancing the fundamental research endeavors in this area. "The members of HySE will continue to deepen their collaborative relations in order to provide a variety of small mobility options to users and meet their diverse needs. "Main research and development areas, and the role of each company, include the following: Research on hydrogen-powered engines. Honda will be responsible for research on the model- based development of hydrogen-powered engines; Suzuki will perform finite element analysis study - ing the functionality, performance, and reliability of the hydrogen-powered engines. Yamaha Motor and Kawasaki Motors will perform hands-on re - search using actual hydrogen-powered engines on their functionality, performance, and reliability. "Hydrogen refueling. Yamaha will study the requirements for a hydrogen refueling system and hydrogen tanks for small mobility. "Fuel supply system. Kawasaki will study the auxiliary equipment required for a fuel supply system and tanks, and the equipment installed between the fuel tank and the injector. In addition to the full members (the four motor - cycle manufacturers), Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Toyota Motor support the association as special members. "Kawasaki Heavy Industries, being one of the main organizers of the 'CO2-free Hydrogen Energy Supply-chain Technology Research Association' (HySTRA), will drive forward HySE's activities, based on the knowledge gained from its activi - ties for HySTRA. Toyota, on the other hand, will assume the role of leveraging HySE's research results to the maximum benefit for the develop- ment of hydrogen-powered engines, utilizing its know-how on experiments, analyses and the designing of large hydrogen-fueled power units for four-wheel vehicles." CN WIND IN THE P68 The four major Japanese OEMs believe hydrogen is the way to go to power small engines in the future and will combine efforts to develop the technology.