Five Point No: The Lexus 5.0L Hydrogen Powered V8 Engine Won’t Save Combustion Engines
Toyota partnered with Yamaha to develop a hydrogen powered V8 engine, unfortunately there is a big problem with hydrogen combustion.
Here is what we know. Every true auto enthusiast loves a naturally aspirated, gasoline powered V8 engine. They are powerful, deliver gobs of smooth power and sound terrific. We also know that those engines are quickly becoming extinct. EVs are the future, even if Toyota is not quite sure how to get there yet. EVs have many advantages and they can be extremely quick. But they don’t have the soul of a traditional V8. The driving force behind this shift to EVs is concern for our environment. And while we may not all love EVs we do all want to live in a healthy environment. But what if we could have the best of both worlds? What if there was a hydrogen powered V8 combustion engine? Toyota partnered with Yamaha to develop exactly that.
If a hydrogen powered V8 combustion engine could be feasible the environmentalists and auto enthusiasts would both embrace it with open arms. We get to keep our V8 combustion engine for all the reasons we love it. And the fact it produces no harmful emissions means Mother Earth will love it as well. Of course, if something seems too good to be true then it probably is. A video was recently posted on the Engineering Explained YouTube channel and Jason Fenske explained why the hydrogen powered V8 combustion engine is not a viable solution.
Hydrogen Powered V8 Engine
Yamaha and Toyota took the 5.0L V8 engine from the Lexus RC F luxury sport coupe and developed a method for it to run on hydrogen. The results are not encouraging. The good news is that it is technically possible, and the hydrogen powered V8 combustion engine makes about the same power as the gasoline powered 5.0L V8, and the only emissions are water. However, the big problem is the range. A traditional gasoline powered RC F can travel about 330 miles on a tank of fuel. The hydrogen powered V8 would only be good for between 25 and 50 miles of range. Obviously, that is far too short to be practical. The reason is mostly due to the amount of hydrogen required to keep the engine powered.
Too Many Buckets
Fenske illustrates his point using 5-gallon buckets. To get a 300 mile range from a hydrogen powered V8 it would require roughly 21 5-gallon buckets of hydrogen stored as a gas. That is far too much space required in a normal car, let alone a sportscar to make this a practical solution. Storing hydrogen as a liquid will reduce the number of 5-gallon buckets required to just 12 buckets. But that is still a significant amount of space, and it introduces new challenges such as storing it at temperatures approaching absolute zero. Again, this is just not practical.
Hydrogen Possibilities
All of this is not to say that hydrogen is not a viable gasoline alternative. In fact, Toyota already has a hydrogen powered vehicle, the Toyota Mirai. But the major difference here is the Mirai is not a V8 combustion engine powered by hydrogen. The Mirai uses a fuel cell. What happens is the hydrogen is converted into electricity by the on-board fuel cell. This then powers an electric motor. Now, this can be fine for the folks on the environmentalist side of the aisle because it creates zero emissions. But the gasoline V8 loving auto enthusiast is not happy because this vehicle has the same problem as every other electric car. It lacks emotion.
Now What?
Well, it is unlikely that the significant issues with a hydrogen powered combustion engine are going to be solved any time soon. So, anyone that was hoping this would save our beloved V8 you can take a moment to wipe away your tears. Then go buy a traditional V8 while you still can. EVs are coming, and they may be powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. But the impending all-electric future seems inevitable.
Join the Club Lexus forums now!
