YAMAHA is actively embracing hydrogen as a viable and clean solution in its pursuit of carbon neutrality, according to its President and CEO Yoshihiro Hidaka.
In an interview by Supriya Singh and Masatsugu Horie of Bloomberg at Yamaha’s headquarters, that appeared in Japan Times, Hidaka expressed the company’s commitment to exploring various possibilities and opportunities to achieve carbon neutrality.
In a report that appeared in Japan Times, the Yamaha president said that hydrogen is one viable strategy for carbon neutrality, apart from battery electric vehicles.
“We would like to keep many possibilities, opportunities, to achieve carbon neutrality,” Hidaka said in an interview Thursday at Yamaha’s headquarters in Shizuoka Prefecture.
The Japanese automotive industry, a major employer with 5.5 million people, has long advocated for a multipathway approach to decarbonization. Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, has been a proponent of this strategy. Hidaka acknowledged that the multipathway approach has faced criticism but emphasized its importance in the Japanese auto industry’s thinking.
Hidaka, who has been leading the world’s second-largest motorcycle manufacturer since 2018, joined other industry leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima to promote their collaborative approach to decarbonization. This approach has faced challenges due to the growing dominance of battery-based electric vehicles by companies like Tesla and China’s BYD.
Yamaha has taken the initiative in hydrogen testing among Japan’s two-wheeler manufacturers. The company established a dedicated research facility to test battery technology, hydrogen, and carbon-neutral fuel. In collaboration with Toyota, Yamaha developed hydrogen-powered combustion engines for the Corolla H2 Concept, which made history as the world’s first liquid-hydrogen race car.
Furthermore, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki were granted approval by the government to form a technological research association aimed at jointly developing hydrogen-powered engines for smaller mobility vehicles. Toyota has agreed to share its hydrogen knowledge with the association.
While hydrogen has drawbacks such as combustibility and lower fuel efficiency compared to traditional options, it offers the advantage of faster refueling. Currently, the use of hydrogen in engines remains a niche technology, with hydrogen fuel cells being more prevalent for generating electricity to power electric motors.
Hidaka emphasized the importance of being prepared with the technology and storing it for future use. Once the global shift towards hydrogen gains momentum, Yamaha plans to bring its technology to the market and initiate mass development.
Yamaha is also actively advocating for the development of “e-fuel,” which involves synthesizing hydrogen and carbon dioxide. As engines designed for gasoline, hydrogen, or e-fuel can have similar configurations, this approach would help sustain existing manufacturers and suppliers in the Japanese automotive industry.
Hidaka acknowledged that the task ahead involves developing the technology and achieving cost-effective mass production of hydrogen and e-fuel. Yamaha is committed to driving these advancements in pursuit of a sustainable future.
