An Asian automaker achieves a combustion stability of 500 kW hydrogen, leaving both Toyota and Yamaha stunned by such a significant leap. This company has decided to scale up its hydrogen agenda and has achieved the feat of the decade. With the prototype already on the cards, this automaker is looking at delivering maximum power. Brands like Toyota and Yamaha will need to look at this competition while working towards their own hydrogen agenda.
MHIET is making quite an impressive statement
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger Limited (MHIET) has stolen the spotlight by coming out as a main advocate for hydrogen combustion technology. Although MHIET always stayed out of the public spotlight, the company’s hydrogen endeavor focuses on achieving stable combustion, where 100% hydrogen was placed in a test engine in 2021.
During the early phases of research with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), this feat was deemed somewhat of an impressive achievement. Despite the 2021 breakthrough, the company remained overshadowed by other well-known automakers who were also putting hydrogen to the test.
In 2025, Toyota and Yamaha promoted their hydrogen-powered prototypes before losing the plot slightly. Both companies came up with some wonderful prototypes; however, neither automaker could showcase hydrogen stability at high outputs. This fact makes the achievement by MHIET all the more noteworthy.
The 500 kW hydrogen stretch achieved by the forgotten Asian automaker
With the demonstration at the Sagamahira Plant, MHIET’s 6-cylinder along with a 500 kW generator set, ensures complete hydrogen operation. The demonstration goes far beyond a lab experiment. The generator is a commercial-style generator with immense potential. The most important aspect is that a 500 kW engine with a generator works together to display hydrogen’s true potential.
A system that is designed to work on pure hydrogen
Evaluations showed the true potential of hydrogen. A system running on 100% hydrogen can produce an output of 435 kW at 1,500 rpm and has proved that it can be a reliable fuel source across all phases of testing. The biggest feat for this Asian automaker is the development cycle, where everything from the design to the demonstration takes place under one roof.
MHIET is one of the very first manufacturers that was able to show what a high-power hydrogen engine was capable of, demonstrating an incredible feat that no other automaker can claim to have achieved. While Mitsubishi is trying to achieve its hydrogen goals, there is another Japanese brand has made it clear that hydrogen is part of its future.
Yet again, it’s not Toyota or Kia, but another Japanese brand that is making hydrogen its future. Honda, like Mitsubishi, is maintaining a hydrogen agenda for the future, and this Japanese brand is rather eager about selling only zero-emissions vehicles by 2040.
The hydrogen engine and where it fits into today’s times
Mitsubishi is not on the hydrogen pathway alone, although its competitor, Toyota, seems to have broken away from its hydrogen agenda. Toyota is looking towards a breakthrough fuel that is set to take hydrogen’s place. Still, the focus has always been and still remains on hydrogen combustion engines when sustainable energy is mentioned. The powertrain by MHIET focuses on burning hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide considerably.
While hydrogen combustion engines have always been loved, the main weakness with these types of hydrogen models was that they were unable to achieve high-output performance.
This powertrain by MHIET, which is capable of achieving high-output performance while being powered by hydrogen, is stealing the show and aligning perfectly with climate goals. This technology employed by this company may also be used by factories and ports. The main idea behind this move towards hydrogen is to align with climate goals while achieving commercialization in 2026, so the race towards a hydrogen future is well underway.
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