Yanmar and Toyota join forces for hydrogen powered yachting
The two Japanese companies Yanmar and Toyota have signed a technical partnership for the development of hydrogen propulsion in the maritime and leisure world. The Memorandum of Understanding provides for Toyota to make available to Yanmar the fuel cell technology it has developed for the automotive sector. It includes in particular the MIRAI high-pressure hydrogen tanks designed by the Japanese firm's engineers. This is Toyota's second agreement in the field after the one signed with Energy Observer in early 2020.
Application on a motor launch as of fiscal year 2020
The operation is in line with Yanmar's research for ecological transition. The company has already worked on the environmental impact of its marine engines with its "dual-fuel" technology accepting LNG and diesel, or through collaborations with Transfluid for parallel hybrid engines. Thanks to the agreement with Toyota, the Japanese manufacturer wants to save time in order to quickly offer a hydrogen-powered pleasure boat. A demonstrator based on one of the brand's models (Editor's note: not distributed in Europe), is announced for the end of the 2020 fiscal year. While hydrogen storage is one of the major obstacles to this technology, due to the safety and mass issues of equipment such as pressurized tanks, the use of a proven system in the automotive industry should enable Yanmar to offer a solution more quickly.
