Spring 2025
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PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT
As we know our infrastructure is based on gasoline and there isn’t current infrastructure for customers to readily utilize a hydrogen motor; but in working with Roush Performance, known for racing components in the automotive industry, the fuel delivery system for the hydrogen outboard was developed. Roush is also providing safety analysis.
The automotive industry has been working with hydrogen for years, and Roush specifically has 20-plus years of working with hydrogen; so, this was a good partnership to help get the marine industry to the next step.
Regulator Marine was part of the joint effort
and modified their 26-foot Regulator XO center
console for the H2 hydrogen motor and the fuel delivery system. There are currently two test
Photo: Yamaha
vessels with the modification with hydrogen
tanks, both by Regulator Marine. The tanks
and hydrogen motor. Hydrogen is H2 – or two hydrogen
hold 22 to 23 kilograms of hydrogen and take up much of
molecules, and water is H20 – or two hydrogen molecules
the boat’s space. If the H2 were to go beyond prototyping
and one oxygen molecule; so, the only emission byproduct of
Regulator could redesign the boat to accommodate
H2 is H20 (water), making it one of the cleanest alternative
the tanks and still have more of the space that we are
fuels to use. Another
accustomed to.
Because we are still in the progress of testing, we can’t
HYDROGEN COMING TO MARKET give range or horsepower specs; but that is on the horizon.
Using Yamaha’s 5.6-liter, 450-horsepower V-8 XTO
And, while Yamaha isn’t looking for immediate production of
made sense as the hydrogen motor basically uses the same a hydrogen outboard, and it is not something that is being
energy-harnessing principles as a gasoline-powered motor. mandated to as of yet; if it ever comes to that then Yamaha
However, a big difference is the byproducts of a gasoline
will be able to deliver. •
Photo: Jody Only
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