Become a Member: Get Ad-Free Access to 3,000+ Reviews, Guides, & More

Yamaha Joins Kawasaki in The Bid for Hydrogen Power

A view of a Kawasaki rider riding beyond a scope of mountains

We’ve just been given the heads up that Yamaha has joined forces with Kawasaki in their quest to build a hydrogen engine for the moto-minded masses.  

While hydrogen might not be the number one alternative to fossil fuel motorcycle engines, it’s got great potential for reducing our emissions worldwide. As stated by InterestingEngineering, “Hydrogen engines are said to provide a greater scope of improving energy security and reducing the carbon footprint. This is because no carbon compounds are released as byproducts when these vehicles run on hydrogen.”

A hydrogen engine, courtesy of Kawasaki and potentially Yamaha

Source: RideApart

A hydrogen engine apparently combusts at a faster rate than traditional engines, too, meaning riders will get faster responsiveness in the daily commute. 

Kawasaki knows this – in fact, Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has created the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier, known as ‘The Suiso Frontier,’ to harness this power and use it to their advantage, transporting large quantities of liquefied hydrogen at 1/800 of the original carbon footprint. 

the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier, known as ‘The Suiso Frontier,’ transporting large quantities of liquefied hydrogen at 1/800 of the original carbon footprint.

Source: Offshore Energy

So while Kawi may not have started out testing this energy source for their motorcycles, RideApart tells us that they can now take what they’ve made, turn around and stuff it into a future two-wheeled chassis – and Yamaha wants to be there for the fun. 

With Yamaha having committed to 100% carbon neutrality by 2050, we will be excited to see what the two moto-giants come out with next. We already know that Kawi’s told us to expect three new electric bikes by next year, and with their heads stuffed into the bodywork of a new hydrogen machine, perhaps we will be able to expect the reveal for early 2024…

Fingers crossed, stay tuned for updates, be sure to check out other recent newsies from our archives, and as always – stay safe on the twisties. 

*Title media sourced from CycleWorld*