Yamaha open new hydrogen testing facility for greener manufacturing processes

Yamaha have announced they are stepping up exploration of hydrogen power – but not as an alternative energy source for future motorcycles but as a greener fuel in their long-term bid to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The Japanese giant is to build a new ‘verification testing facility’ equipped with a melting furnace and heat treatment furnace using hydrogen at their factory at Morimachi, Japan.

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From 2025, this is set to explore techniques for melting aluminium using hydrogen gas in place of the natural gas and fossil fuels currently used in a bid to minimise CO2 emissions.

The company say the plan is that, by the end of 2026, they will have completed development of technologies necessary and to then gradually implement them at their domestic and international casting factories from 2027 onward.

The plan is part of Yamaha Motor’s overall efforts to minimise Scope 1 CO2 emissions (direct emissions controlled by a company) across activities. Currently natural gas and other fossil fuels are used in the manufacture of cast parts for motorcycles, outboard motors, and more.

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In a statement, the company said: “In our search for alternative energy sources, we judged that electrification is not suited for the melting process in terms of energy efficiency as it requires a large amount of heat, so we turned our attention to hydrogen energy, which Yamaha Motor is already studying as an option for reducing Scope 3 emissions (product use).”

The company said they are also working to develop equipment for producing hydrogen gas at low cost.