The different regulations that limit vehicle emissions have brought with them the general end of large engines. But Yamaha has a plan for its survival. On the occasion of the last test of the Super Taikyu championship in Okayama, Yamaha has exhibited a V8 prototype powered directly by hydrogen instead of gasoline.
Yamaha’s new engine is based on the Toyota 2UR that Lexus uses in the RC-F coupe, has a displacement of five liters and can reach up to 442 hp at 6,800 rpm.
Designed for the competition.
At first glance, the images show a meticulously maintained construction, as the work on the exhaust manifolds demonstrates. These have the same length for all the ducts that come out of both heads, making the expelled water travel the same distance from each of the cylinders and with the same speed. In this way, it is possible to extract the maximum possible power.
The use of hydrogen in a lean mixture maintains the delivery of its 500 Nm of maximum torque in a wide rev range, which goes from 2,000 to 6,500 rpm.
This engine is the continuation of the agreement that Yamaha has signed with Toyota, Mazda, Subaru and Kawasaki to promote competition with alternative energies. Therefore, it would not be strange to find it in the future in a prototype of the Japanese Super GT championship or even under the hood of a street supercar.
But for this, they must first find a way to overcome the current drawbacks of this type of engine, such as the bulky storage of hydrogen or the lower efficiency of this combustion compared to the fuel cell. Problems that already affect the Corolla that Akio Toyoda himself drives in official races.
The development of this V8 is not, far from it, the first foray into the cars of this manufacturer. In addition to their successes on two wheels, many teams and manufacturers have turned to Yamaha over the years.
Toyota itself relied on them for the engine of the 1967 2000 GT, as well as the V10 that would give the Lexus LFA its characteristic sound close to Formula 1. It also designed and built for Volvo one of the smallest V8s in the world, the one that it was used in the first generation of the XC90.
