Yamaha, Roush and Regulator Marine Make Waves During 2024 SEMA Show® with World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Outboard

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 13, 2024--

Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit joined forces with Roush ® and Regulator Marine to reveal the world’s first hydrogen-powered outboard for recreational boats, to car manufacturers, automotive component suppliers and aftermarket equipment manufactures from around the globe during the 2024 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) Show, Nov. 4-8 in Las Vegas, Nev. Complimented by a hydrogen fuel system designed by Roush, to power the outboard, and a custom boat hull from Regulator Marine, the Yamaha H2 outboard concept was on display for 160,000 registered attendees, including over 2,300 approved media, during the course of the show.

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Together, Yamaha, Regulator and Roush highlighted the future of propulsion, setting the stage for a groundbreaking crossover between marine and automotive innovation. With a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035 for operations and 2050 for products, Yamaha is championing a multi-technology approach aligned with SEMA initiatives to motivate others in the industry to pursue carbon neutrality within product lines.

“Why did we decide to exhibit at SEMA? Because Yamaha and SEMA share a belief that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for carbon-neutral products, and hydrogen is a formidable contender for the future of cleaner internal combustion engines,” said Grant Suzuki, Chief of Technology, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “Internal combustion will continue to be a necessary component in recreational boating. We’re also advocating publicly for sustainable fuels, hydrogen and other technologies we can deploy to continue to meet customer expectations. We received a tremendously positive response from show attendees, and we look forward to sharing more about the H2 outboard as we continue to test and collect data.”

Yamaha’s presence at the show included a FutureTech Fireside Chat with Grant Suzuki, Chief Technology Officer, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit; Matt Van Benschoten, Vice President, Advanced Engineering, Roush; and Don Seal, Manufacturing Engineer, Regulator Marine. Martin Peters, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit Director of External Affairs, moderated the discussion. Exemplifying the power of cross-industry collaboration, the three panelists discussed the promise of hydrogen fuel as well as a multi-technology approach to carbon neutrality that also includes sustainable drop-in fuels and electric applications.

Suzuki also participated in a separate panel entitled, “Advanced Fuels and Powertrains: Current Landscape and Innovations,” alongside panelists Robert Wimmer, Director of Energy and Environmental Research, Carbon Neutrality and Regulatory Affairs, Toyota ®; Tom Holm, Executive Director, Department of Defense Energy Defense Council; Kaustav Sinha, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Chevron ®; Josh Budworth, Vice President of Business Development, Alliance AutoGas ®; and Jeff Wilkerson, Pearson Fuels™, Government Policy and Regulatory Affairs Manager. Moderated by Jamie Butters, Executive Editor of Automotive News®, the panel discussion delved deeper into how the industry can help reduce carbon emissions by adopting various fuel technologies for internal combustion engines (ICE), as well as the innovative powertrains that can work alongside electrification.

Yamaha has a long-standing commitment to exploring innovative and sustainable technologies, including hydrogen as a potential fuel source. The company's interest in hydrogen technology began in 2003 with early research into alternative energy solutions aimed at reducing environmental impact. Over the years, Yamaha collaborated with various partners to develop hydrogen-powered engines. These efforts align with Yamaha's broader strategy to reduce carbon emissions and contribute to a more sustainable future. By exploring hydrogen as a clean and renewable energy source, Yamaha is advancing environmental goals while maintaining performance and reliability.

The pursuit of hydrogen technology is just one example of Yamaha’s suite of multiple technology solutions to reduce carbon. Earlier this year Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. acquired electric marine propulsion leader Torqeedo GmbH, expanding Yamaha's capabilities in electric and hybrid power. In addition, Yamaha is also actively researching and promoting the use of sustainable marine fuels as part of ongoing efforts toward carbon neutrality across the industry.

Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., markets and sells marine outboard motors ranging in size from 2.5 to 450 horsepower. It also engineers, manufactures, markets and sells boat control systems, IoT control devices, fiberglass, jet-drive sport boats ranging from 19 to 27 feet, and personal watercraft. The unit includes the manufacturing divisions of Yamaha Marine Systems Co., Inc., including Yamaha Marine Rotational Molders (rotational molding), Bennett Marine of Deerfield Beach, Fla. (trim tabs), and Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers of Indianapolis (stainless steel propellers). Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit is a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., based in Cypress, Calif.

This document contains many of Yamaha's valuable trademarks. It may also contain trademarks belonging to other companies. Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only and are not intended to be an endorsement. Roush® is a registered trademark of Roush Enterprises, Inc.

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear.

© 2024 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit joined forces with Roush® and Regulator Marine to reveal the world’s first hydrogen-powered outboard for recreational boats, to car manufacturers, automotive component suppliers and aftermarket equipment manufactures from around the globe during the 2024 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) Show, Nov. 4-8 in Las Vegas, Nev. The Yamaha H2 outboard concept was on display for 160,000 registered attendees, including over 2,300 approved media, during the course of the show. (Photo: Business Wire)

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — For the third straight year, efforts to fight climate change haven't lowered projections for how hot the world is likely to get — and recent developments in China and the United States are likely to slightly worsen the outlook, according to an analysis Thursday.

The analysis comes as countries come together for the 29th edition of the United Nations climate talks, hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan, where nations are trying to set new targets to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases and figure out how much rich nations will pay to help the world with that task.

But Earth remains on a path to be 2.7 degrees Celsius (4.9 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial times, according to Climate Action Tracker, a group of scientists and analysts who study government policies and translate that into projections of warming.

If emissions are still rising and temperature projections are no longer dropping, people should wonder if the United Nations climate negotiations known as COP are doing any good, said Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare.

“There’s an awful lot going on that’s positive here, but on the big picture of actually getting stuff done to reduce emissions ... to me it feels broken,” Hare said.

The world has already warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. That's near the 1.5-degree (2.7 F) limit that countries agreed to at 2015 climate talks in Paris. Climate scientists say the atmospheric warming, mainly from human burning of fossil fuels, is causing ever more extreme and damaging weather including droughts, flooding and dangerous heat.

Climate Action Tracker does projections under several different scenarios, and in some cases, those are going up slightly.

One projected track based on what countries promise to do by 2030 is up to 2.6 degrees Celsius, a tenth of a degree warmer than before. And even the analysts' most optimistic scenario, which assumes that countries all deliver on their promises and targets, is at 1.9 Celsius, also up a tenth of a degree from last year, said study lead author Sofia Gonzales-Zuniga of Climate Analytics, one of the main groups behind the tracker.

“This is driven highly by China,” Gonzales-Zuniga said. Even though China's fast-rising emissions are starting to plateau, they are peaking higher than anticipated, she said.

Another upcoming factor not yet in the calculations is the U.S. elections. A Trump administration that rolls back the climate policies in the Inflation Reduction Act, and carries out the conservative blueprint Project 2025, would add 0.04 degree Celsius (0.07 Fahrenheit) to warming projections, Gonzales-Zuniga said. That's not much, but it could be more if other nations use it as an excuse to do less, she said. And a reduction in American financial aid could also reverberate even more in future temperature outlooks.

“For the U.S. it is going backwards,” said Hare. At least China has more of an optimistic future with a potential giant plunge in future emissions, he said.

“We should already be seeing (global) emissions going down" and they are not, Hare said. “In the face of all of the climate disasters we’ve observed, whether it’s the massive floods in Nepal that killed hundreds of people or whether it’s the floods in Valencia, Spain, that just killed hundreds of people. The political system, politicians are not reacting. And I think that’s something that people everywhere should be worried about.”

The major battle in Baku is over how much rich nations will help poor countries to decarbonize their energy systems, cope with future harms of climate change and pay for damage from warming's extreme weather. The old goal of $100 billion a year in aid is expiring and Baku's main focus is coming up with a new, bigger figure.

A special independent group of experts commissioned by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued its own estimate of costs and finances on Thursday, calling for a tripling of the old commitment.

“Advanced economies need to demonstrate a credible commitment” to helping poor nations, the report said.

A coalition of poor nations at the Baku talks are asking for $1.3 trillion in annual climate finance. The independent experts' report said about $1 trillion a year is needed by developing nations from all outside sources, not just government grants.

The report detailed how expensive decarbonizing the world's economy would be, how much it would cost and where the money could come from. Overall climate adaption spending for all countries is projected to reach $2.4 trillion a year.

"The transition to clean, low-carbon energy, building resilience to the impacts of climate change, coping with loss and damage, protecting nature and biodiversity, and ensuring a just transition, require a rapid step-up in investment in all countries,'' said the report.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Attendees arrive for the day at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Activists participate in a demonstration for climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)