In recent years, a new wind has been blowing through the marine sector. The climate emergency is pushing all sectors to consider new ways of producing and operating that pollute less, and the maritime sector is particularly attentive to these new expectations. Efforts are being made to make ports cleaner, to decarbonise maritime transport, and the focus is on electric, nuclear or, like Yamaha, hydrogen power.

The Japanese firm recently announced that it would be presenting its very first prototype hydrogen combustion outboard engine at the Miami 2024 boat show.

Hydrogen-powered engines, which are increasingly present in the land mobility sector, are beginning to be introduced to the marine sector, notably by Japanese manufacturer Yamaha, which will be presenting its first prototype hydrogen-powered outboard engine in February.

So, what can we expect?

Hydrogen (dihydrogen) is a gas that many sectors involved in the energy transition are banking on. Burning 1 kilogram of hydrogen produces almost 4 times more energy than burning 1 kilogram of petrol, and above all, it produces nothing but water. No CO2, and therefore no greenhouse gas emissions.

And while hydrogen engines used for land mobility do not use hydrogen directly as a fuel, since it is used as an energy carrier to produce electricity, the engine's footprint remains neutral, since it is in fact an electric motor powered not by a battery, but by a fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electricity.

As far as the marine sector is concerned, it should be borne in mind that the energy required to electrify the maritime sector would be 10 times greater than that required for land-based mobility. Relying on batteries for electric motors in these conditions would mean using a lot of them, whereas hydrogen motors are exempt from these constraints.

We can therefore expect Yamaha's new prototype hydrogen combustion engine to follow these principles. It would be powerful, as the V8 emblem and the 5.6 L badge seen in the first images suggest, and would have a non-existent carbon footprint when in use.

We also know that Yamaha USA will be responsible for developing the boat on which this new engine will be mounted, and that Yamaha Japan will be in charge of the engine.

However, we'll have to wait until February, at the Miami boat show, to find out more.