Could you one day be running your boat with a hydrogen outboard? It might seem unlikely, but Yamaha is testing the waters by creating the first hydrogen-powered outboard and fuel system.
The first prototype was developed in partnership with Roush and Regulator Marine. They plan to begin testing the hydrogen rig, based on a Regulator 26XO, this year. The biggest trick here isn’t getting the outboard to run on hydrogen. After all, combustion is combustion, and hydrogen actually holds more potential energy (almost three times as much) than gasoline. Storing it, however, is quite a trick. Hydrogen tanks must be built to exacting specifications, and must be able to contain immense pressure. To wrap your head around just what this adds up to, check out this picture of the prototype Regulator:
The two forward tanks didn’t fit into the frame, but as you can see, the hydrogen tanks, three in all, dominate the belowdecks space of the boat. Plumbing and wiring had to be rerouted and the boat’s structure had to be set up specifically for the tanks. Okay, so they fit them in there – great. But, just how much range do those three big tanks get you? Yamaha believes it will be about 50 miles. As we all know, for most anglers, that simply won’t cut it. However, they also believe that with some time, experimentation, and experience, they’ll be able to increase this number substantially.
Another problem is infrastructure. Let’s say you get a hydrogen boat. Just where do you plan on filling it up? Then, there’s the safety factor. Many people worry that driving around in a vehicle with tanks of hydrogen inside is more or less like driving around in a bomb. Then again, if you think about it we already do that every day in both our boats and our cars – gas tanks are not exactly immune to explosion.
So: will we be running around in hydrogen boats? Probably not anytime too soon. But don’t bet the farm that it will never happen. There are already plans for hydrogen fueling stations in Europe, and when Yamaha gets involved in a project like this, you can bet there’s the very real potential for success in the future.