Yahoo Autos Toyota Mirai Hits the Water as Powertrain for a Yanmar Fuel-Cell Boat
Equipped with some high-pressure hydrogen tanks taken from the Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car, Toyota's new zero-emission boat concept is built for "superior cruising range."
Toyota has a long history working with Japanese company Yanmar on watercraft, including the PONAM-28V from 2016.
For now, the H2 boat is just a concept, but Yanmar says these kinds of vessels would work well for moving tourists around urban areas.
One of the most obvious effects of climate change is a rise in sea levels. So it makes sense that at least some oceangoing vessels are being developed that won't contribute carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and thus raise those levels even further. You can find one example of green boat technology hidden in the hull of a new boat from Yanmar Holdings. The boat's hydrogen-powered fuel-cell system uses parts from the powertrain in the Toyota Mirai.
Yanmar announced its new boat as part of a memorandum of understanding the company has signed with Toyota. The mission is to "develop a hydrogen fuel-cell system for maritime applications." Toyota's contribution includes the high-pressure hydrogen tanks used in the Mirai. Yanmar wants to create a H2 powertrain that is easy to install and has "superior cruising range." That sounds familiar.
Yanmar said it hopes to install this maritime fuel-cell system on its own boat so it can start field demonstration tests by the end of the 2020 fiscal year, then expand the hydrogen technology "for a variety of applications and deployments."
