Despite the fact that Yamaha is not a car manufacturer, the company is renowned in the world of driving for its significant contributions to powerplant design.
And, once again, they wish to establish a school through the development of the world’s first hydrogen-powered V8. Yamaha hopes to demonstrate the potential of hydrogen fuel to generate high-performance engines by building on the Toyota-Lexus 8-cylinder on which they have collaborated.
Yamaha and Toyota-Lexus have a long history together, and this fruitful partnership has resulted in the development of some of the best engines in modern history, including the naturally aspirated V8s found in the Lexus LS, IS-F, and more recent RC F and LC 500, as well as the unmatched V10 found in the Lexus LFA. Indeed, Yamaha developed the V8 engine used by Volvo.
Although the atmospheric V8 is in grave danger of extinction, Yamaha wants to breathe new life into them by utilizing hydrogen as a fuel source, an alternative that the Japanese automotive industry appears to be increasingly embracing, led by Toyota. The launch of this new propellant took conducted in Okayama during the Super Taikyu series, an event focused at displaying the car industry’s alternative propulsion ideas.
Yamaha developed this engine by adapting the 5.0 V8 naturally aspirated 2UR-GSE engine that powers the RC-F and LC 500 to run on hydrogen and relocating the intake and exhaust. The displacement (4,968 cc) and compression ratio remain unchanged (12.3 to 1). Intended for racing cars, this V8 now incorporates the exhausts inside the V, resulting in a truly fantastic sound, something Yamaha never fails to provide.
This adaption also includes a new engine map, which results in a maximum power output of 449 hp at 6,800 rpm and a maximum torque output of 540 Nm at 3,600 rpm for this hydrogen-fueled V8. These values differ significantly from those of the original gasoline-fueled engine, since the V8 in the LC 500 and RC F produces 477 horsepower at 7,100 revolutions per minute and 530 Newton meters at 4,800 revolutions per minute.
In brief, Yamaha is committed to preserving naturally aspirated V8 engines through the use of hydrogen as a fuel. Toyota and Lexus are pursuing this alternative with rather ambitious initiatives, but we think that it will be difficult to see this propellant on the road given the lack of support for this way of comprehending hydrogen in the automobile sector.
