Kawasaki’s two-wheel hydrogen combustion engine is developed using the same injector as hydrogen Corolla based on Ninja H2-Car Watch

Kawasaki’s Hydrogen Combustion Engine for Motorcycles

At Mobility Resort Motegi, where Round 5 of the Super Taikyu Motegi is being held, a buggy equipped with Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ hydrogen-combustion engine for motorcycles performed a demonstration run. This hydrogen engine for motorcycles was developed based on the 998cc in-line 4-cylinder supercharged engine installed in Kawasaki’s motorcycle “Ninja H2”. Four motorcycle manufacturers, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Honda Motor, Suzuki, and Yamaha Motor, jointly developed the system, with Toyota and Denso cooperating.

An explanation of this hydrogen combustion engine for motorcycles was given at Motegi. Mr. Yoshiki Matsuda, Deputy General Manager of Kawasaki Motors Technology Headquarters, and Mr. Koichi Nakata, General Manager of CN Development Department, Toyota Motor Corporation attended and talked about the current development status.

A buggy equipped with a two-wheeled hydrogen combustion engine that self-propelled into the course of Mobility Resort Motegi.At this time, the test rider was driving

According to Mr. Matsuda, at the Super Taikyu Round 4 Autopolis in July 2021, Mr. Akio Toyoda, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, who is participating as Morizo, asked him to work together. It is called the trigger. From there, we started discussions with Toyota Motor Corporation, started the development of a hydrogen combustion engine, visited Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Research Institute, and proceeded with development at places where hydrogen research could be conducted, such as the Industrial Research Institute in Fukushima Prefecture.

Kawasaki’s two-wheeled hydrogen engine and Denso’s injector for the hydrogen Corolla engine are the same parts.

The hydrogen combustion engine for Toyota’s hydrogen Corolla is based on the GR Yaris in-line 3-cylinder 1.6-liter direct injection turbo G16E-GTS type, and uses a Denso hydrogen injector to achieve hydrogen combustion. Kawasaki’s hydrogen-combustion engine for motorcycles uses the engine of the Ninja H2 that Tom Cruise rode in the movie “Top Gun: His Maverick” (Mr. Matsuda). It is said that it uses a hydrogen injector made by Denso.

This Denso hydrogen injector is actually the same one used in the hydrogen Corolla. Hydrogen Corolla is over 500cc per cylinder, and Ninja H2 is less than 250cc. However, with the Ninja H2, the number of revolutions is about twice that of the hydrogen Corolla, and the fuel injection amount (per unit time) is said to be within the range that can be handled with the same injector.

Mr. Matsuda said, “We can share injectors for both small and large engines. We are a supercharger supercharger, and this is a supercharger, so if we go through tests while doing it, we will have a complementary relationship. It’s an advantage that Toyota and the engine are in different areas. In addition, by using the same injector, it is possible to see the development of hydrogen combustion engines from various aspects, such as the robustness of parts in different areas.

The reason why the two-wheel hydrogen combustion engine is installed in the four-wheel buggy is that it is still under development. For development, it is necessary to load measuring equipment, and for that purpose a large body like a buggy is convenient. As for the mounting method, “The engine is mounted as it is, and the (buggy’s) frame is cut and welded” (Mr. Matsuda), and he was forced to mount it. The current situation is that it can not be rotated to such a high rotation range, and everything seems to be from now on.

Explaining the mounting position of the hydrogen combustion engine for motorcycles.President Akio Toyoda is receiving an explanation

Regarding commercialization, which is a concern, Mr. Matsuda said, “Currently, we are not thinking about commercialization.” The common use of injectors with Toyota’s hydrogen Corolla is a typical example.

Regarding the actual development process, it is said that the design began in December 2021. During that time, we discussed with Toyota and Yamaha when there were questions about how to install a hydrogen injector and how to make it a direct injection. The hydrogen tank is installed with the cooperation of Toyota, and the wiring of the hydrogen fuel is also checked for hydrogen leaks by Toyota. Kawasaki itself is demonstrating wet and dry combustion of hydrogen for power generation and jet aircraft, but is proceeding with small engines in cooperation with Toyota, which has know-how in passenger car sizes.

So, what is the difference between a hydrogen engine for two-wheelers and a hydrogen engine for four-wheelers? Mr. Matsuda says that the basics are the same as for gasoline engines, saying, “After all, torque is important for four-wheeled vehicles, and the vehicle is heavy when you step out. I think it’s important to bring it to a high-torque type. The vehicle itself is light, so it uses rotational horsepower.It is important to get thrilling acceleration by operating the throttle.” In contrast to the 4-wheel engine with 500cc per cylinder, the two-wheel engine with 250cc per cylinder wanted to earn kW (kilowatt) in rotation speed.

Kawasaki’s two-wheeled engine shows that it was difficult to develop

In the second half of the briefing session, Mr. Matsuda of Kawasaki talked about the thoughts put into this development.
“Kawasaki is said to be a manly man. It was the start (design) when I saw the president lined up at the circuit in Okayama last November and decided that I had no choice but to do it. At the end of July, we had a race at Autopolis at our company, so we wanted to run it there, so we decided on the schedule.At that time, let alone drawings, we hadn’t even seen the parts yet, and we didn’t have any knowledge of hydrogen engines.” .

“I’ve done a lot of things myself, but this time it was a really electrifying schedule. I really drew the engine drawings in December, then submitted the car body drawings, the parts arrived, and I made a reservation with AIST for two months on the bench. Then, if that didn’t work, I continued development while holding the button to stop it.It was July when I made the car, and every time I went to AIST, the weather forecast for rain changed to sunny. And with the cooperation of everyone (from each company) that I explained earlier… There were about 7 people in our company, and we were able to do it without changing the existing work. , but I think I did a pretty cool development, including the burden on my boss and my colleagues who acknowledged it.”

“Actually, I was able to finish it at the end of July, but at that time the announcement was delayed a little because of the coronavirus.

When I was a student, I myself rode a Kawasaki KR250 equipped with a rotary-valve tandem twin engine inherited from a GP racer (the GP racer is in-line with the transmission, and the commercially available vehicle is in a triangle), so the phrase “male Kawasaki” I knew it, but it was a little surprising that the developers themselves had such a spirit when working on the development of the hydrogen engine.

At the unveiling of this buggy equipped with a hydrogen engine for motorcycles, there was an incident that President Akio Toyoda, aka Mr. Morizo, became the driver for the demo run, but Mr. Matsuda was the one who made it happen.

Regarding Morizo’s steering of the two-wheeled hydrogen-powered buggy, Mr. Matsuda said, “The image I had in my dreams was exactly what I had imagined. At first (Mr. Morizo) came, so I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve come.’ “Can I take a look?”, please go ahead.”Can I ride?”, please go ahead.When I asked if I would like to drive, he said, “Are you sure?” I also explained how far[Mrspokeofemotion

Morizo ​​gets into the driver’s seat of the buggy as recommended. Mr. Matsuda asked, “Do you want to drive?”to the happening

Kawasaki President Hashimoto and Morizo

Kawasaki may be aiming for a hydrogen-powered Ninja H2, but since the hydrogen engine for motorcycles is small, Mr. Matsuda seems to have other possibilities in mind. In any case, the development of high-speed hydrogen combustion has just begun, and Kawasaki is already in the top class in the field of “creating, carrying, and storing” hydrogen such as liquid hydrogen for rockets, and the company is seriously spinning over 10,000 rpm. This marks the company’s entry into the development of motorcycle engines.