With the advent of the new energy era, various automakers have cut back on the development of large-displacement engines. The first to face the disappearance was the V12 engine. Having 12 cylinders is too fuel-intensive, and now a single hybrid can surpass the 12-cylinder engine in terms of power performance.
But the engine cannot completely disappear in a short period of time. Therefore, automakers are also trying to find ways to continue to extend the life of the engine on the basis of maintaining environmental protection. And Toyota came up with a good idea.
Toyota and Yamaha have introduced new eight-cylinder engines. It is characterized by the use of hydrogen instead of gasoline.
The new engine is based on the V8 5.0-litre naturally aspirated engine used in the Lexus RC F. Here, various components such as injectors, cylinder heads, intake and exhaust manifolds have been replaced. In this way, it was changed to a hydrogen internal combustion engine, which injected hydrogen instead of gasoline to generate power from the engine. The exhaust system, which gathers upward between the cylinder banks, is eye-catching.
The new engine using hydrogen produces 450 hp at 6800 rpm and 55.1 kgf·m at 3600 rpm. When gasoline is used, it produces 479 horsepower and 54.6 kgf·m, so even if the horsepower drops slightly, the torque corresponds to the increase in performance.
There are many advantages to using hydrogen directly in an internal combustion engine compared to fuel cell electric vehicles.
First of all, there is no need to redevelop the new engine, because only some parts of the engine parts need to be replaced. Since most of the existing internal combustion engine parts are used, it is easier to work with, including component suppliers. It can also be used directly on models that have been used in the past. Unlike gasoline, another advantage of hydrogen is that it emits very low environmental pollutants after combustion.
But there are also drawbacks, that is, the fuel economy is significantly reduced, and special hydrogen storage tanks must be used. As a result, large amounts of hydrogen cannot be stored and the distance of movement is limited. The infrastructure of hydrogen refueling stations is insufficient, and the hydrogen refueling time is longer than that of ordinary gas stations.
Toyota and Yamaha did not disclose specific plans to use an eight-cylinder hydrogen engine. However, since vehicles equipped with hydrogen internal combustion engines have already appeared in endurance races, the possibility of confirming various possibilities by participating in races is highly predicted.
At the same time, Japanese companies such as Toyota, Yamaha, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Subaru, and Mazda have announced that they will jointly develop alternative fuels that can use internal combustion engines continuously.