A quick look at the battery electric bike sales in these pages will tell you we’re still some way off them replacing petrol. Some are touting hydrogen as an answer to carbon-free internal combustion power, and while it’s not an easy, problem-free solution, it does seem to be worth a look.
So the big four Japanese firms – Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha – have sought and received approval from the Japanese government to form a technical research association called HySE (Hydrogen Small Mobility & Engine Technology), that will aim to develop hydrogen-powered engines for bikes and scooters.
Kenji Komatsu, chairman nominee of HySE and executive officer at Yamaha’s Technical Research & Development Centre, said, “We are extremely pleased to announce the planned formation of the association. There are many challenges in developing hydrogen-powered engines, but we hope to see the association’s activities advance the fundamental research to meet those challenges. We are committed to this endeavour with a sense of mission to preserve the use of internal combustion engines, which epitomize the long-time efforts that our predecessors have invested.”
The new association won’t produce short-term results, but it’s encouraging to see that the big firms are looking for new technological solutions other than big, heavy, expensive batteries, not yet suitable for mainstream leisure motorcycle use.