Honda recently announced two new hydrogen projects spanning both fuel cells and hydrogen-combustion engines.
The automaker on Monday confirmed plans for a fuel-cell heavy-duty truck co-developed with Isuzu, which once sold passenger cars in the U.S. but has now largely retreated into the commercial-vehicle sector. The two companies plan to demonstrate a prototype by next year, with a market launch following in 2027.
While not confirmed for the U.S., this project brings Honda into the ranks of automakers that have shifted to developing fuel-cell semis. Toyota and Hyundai both recently announced plans to broaden fuel-cell semi plans for the U.S., and General Motors in 2021 announced plans to build and support 2,000 fuel-cell semis in concert with truck maker Navistar.
Two days after the fuel-cell semi announcement, Honda also announced a joint effort with other Japanese companies to research hydrogen combustion engines. While fuel cells use gaseous hydrogen to generate electricity to power motors, these engines simply burn it in place of liquid gasoline or diesel.
Honda is working on hydrogen combustion with Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha for products in the “small mobility” sector. The same four companies have also gone in together on battery swapping for motorcycles, and represent half of the global motorcycle market.
Honda didn’t say whether the new partnership, dubbed HySE, would focus specifically on motorcycles, but a company press release said one area of research would involve safeguarding fuel tanks in smaller vehicles. Engine performance and fueling infrastructure will be looked at as well, according to Honda.
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