YANMAR H2 BOAT PROTOTYPE

Last year, Yanmar announced that it was looking at developing a maritime system using hydrogen fuel cells from Toyota's Mirai production line. 

Now a passenger boat prototype has hit the water off the coast of Kunisaki in the Oita Prefecture in Japan.

The Japanese government recently announced a plan to move towards a carbon neutral economy by 2050, and part of that plan is to develop cleaner power and energy technologies.

Indeed, the International Maritime Organization is already looking at ways to get its greenhouse in order and reduce emissions to zero by the turn of the century. One fuel that shows promise is hydrogen, though production will need to shift from mostly dirty to mostly green for maximum benefit.

Japan and Korea are already investing heavily in hydrogen as a fuel source for vehicles, and Yanmar is looking to put Toyota's Mirai fuel cell powertrain to use for maritime applications - Link