This post will take a bit of a superficial dive into one of the alternate fuel technologies for motorcycling. For those in the motorcycling community who are attached to a combustion engine, even the thought of riding a motorcycle that hums, or whines, as I’ve heard it described, is antithetical. We connect with the sensations, visual identity, and for some, the sound of the machine they ride.
I want to look at Hydrogen because for all intents and purposes, a combustion engine is what you’ll be riding if you’re riding a hydrogen-powered motorcycle. Kawasaki and its consortium which include Yamaha and Suzuki are a long way down the road to actual production of the first Hydrogen motorcycle based on their H2 Superbike. On December 18th, 2023, Kawasaki reaffirmed its commitment to hydrogen motorcycles and the HySE group by releasing the prototype Sport Touring 999cc motorcycle. While many questions exist and remain about the infrastructure necessary to support hydrogen as a vehicle fuel, it will undoubtedly come to fruition and the reasons are obvious, with the final production motorcycle set for delivery in 2030.
Presently, electrically powered motorcycles and hydrogen-fueled motorcycles are viable options that will be available soon. Climate change and the creation of evermore greenhouse gases have resulted in climate effects that the world at large is not willing to accept. And the only viable options at the present time that do not contribute to the production of further greenhouse gases are electric and hydrogen power or fuel.
Fact Checking The Claim Of 97% Consensus On Anthropogenic Climate Change (forbes.com)
We are now very close to commercially viable hydrogen powered motorcycles. Motorcycle news published the following in relation to the issues that surround hydrogen fueled engines.
“Hydrogen-powered combustion engines have the benefit that they convert the fuel and air directly into heat and motion, without the need for a separate electric motor, and they can be manufactured using similar techniques and materials as petrol engines, leading to huge savings in the supply chain. They can also run on relatively impure hydrogen while fuel cells will be contaminated, causing expensive damage, if the hydrogen that is fed into them isn’t completely pure.
On the downside, they’re less efficient – around 40-45% of the energy in the hydrogen is turned into power in a combustion engine, while fuel cells can be up to 60% efficient.
They also emit some harmful polluting gasses, such as NOx, despite being carbon-neutral, while fuel cells emit only heat and water.”
Creating hydrogen is not the simplest of processes as its containment, storage and transport are all significant issues in the chain of events that will have to happen if hydrogen fuels are going to find their way to a fuel station somewhere close to you in the foreseeable future. However, it does appear that hydrogen cells, pre-filled and swappable, may be the answer. They will likely be bought and paid for at a Hydrogen fuel station in the future, rather than any kind of physical ‘filling’ station that we are used to.
In response to the question of, ‘where will I get my fuel’, Bosch has committed to developing the refueling infrastructure necessary.
In 2024, Kawasaki will enter a hydrogen motorcycle, and its consortium partner, Isuzu will enter a hydrogen truck into the Dakar Rally, the most grueling race in the world. It will be interesting to see how the technology fares. In any event, the infrastructure is targeted for completion by 2030 and according t Kawasaki, we are only six years away from seeing it enter showrooms.
One of the most exciting news releases from Kawasaki is that KMM is building a plant in Mexico that will build Kawasaki products, starting in 2024. The HYSE consortium of Kawasaki, Toyota, Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda are now dedicated to the production of hydrogen motorcycles and vehicles.
The question will of course be, at what price? Not just for the vehicles, but about the relative cost of fuels. Unless the fuel costs can be justified by the average motorcycle consumer, it will be little more than an interesting technology.
What do you think?
Ciao.
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