Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki previews a new avenue for the internal combustion engine with the unveiling of the experimental HySE hydrogen motorcycle. The prototype shows how Kawasaki is exploring ways to maintain the ICE engine as the race for electrification picks up steam in the motorcycle market.
Honda unveiled a new version of the familiar CR-V hybrid on Tuesday, and the e:FCEV is the automaker’s newest fuel-cell vehicle, the first Honda to run on hydrogen since it killed off the Clarity FCV three years ago.
When Toyota introduced the Mirai fuel-cell vehicle three years ago the automaker tossed in an appealing incentive, $15,000 worth of the hydrogen needed to power it up. At the time, it cost just over $70 to fill Mira’s 5.6-kilogram tank. Today, you’ll pay over $200 – if you can find the lightweight gas, as many of the stations providing it have run dry. And that’s threatening to short-circuit the “hydrogen economy” that fuel-cell proponents have predicted is just around the corner.
Hoping to take advantage of what proponents call the fuel of the future, General Motors and Honda today launched joint production of hydrogen fuel cells at a factory in suburban Detroit. The zero-emission devices will be used to power everything from portable generators to Class 8 trucks. And, as Headlight.News reports, the two automakers aren’t the only ones who see great opportunities with hydrogen technology.