Yamaha announced last week that it has started taking orders from other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for its high-performance prototype electric motors for a variety of vehicles, including cars and motorcycles.
The prototype interior permanent magnet synchronous motor is capable of ‘industry-leading power density’ thanks to a high-efficiency segment conductor as well as advance casting and processing technologies, according to the Japanese manufacturer, and it is capable of producing up to 200 kW (268 hp). The motor will be either water-cooled or oil-cooled, depending on its intended application.
Yamaha will customise the prototype motor to the specific needs of individual customers ‘in short time spans’ using production methods that the company will adapt to various product groups, it said. The video footage below shows what appears to be an Alfa Romeo 4C being used as a test bed, and assuming the full 268 hp is used, this represents a 28 hp gain over the 1.8 litre turbo petrol engine the car comes with, as standard.
The Iwata-based manufacturer is also working on more compact applications, with outputs starting from 35 kW (47 hp). Incidentally, 47 hp is the European output limit for A2 motorcycle license holders on the continent, which means that the majority of motorcycle sizes will be catered for in Yamaha’s development of the electric motors; the flexibility for different products should also fit other forms such as sport bikes and tourers.
Yamaha has yet to state target output numbers for its bike application motors, though in terms of other electric bikes for comparison, the Energica Ego produces 145 hp and 200 Nm of torque, while the Harley-Davidson LiveWire produces 104 hp and 117 Nm of torque.
The larger of the above prototype motors could go into, among other things, a high-performance cruiser type of bike; might Yamaha do an electric reprise of its V4-engined muscle bike and call it the ‘EV-MAX’?
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can plug & play to my yamaha lc 1st model? i dont mind extra weight for battery..used to go kedai & surau only
Wow, an Alfa Romeo as a test bed, not bad yamaha, not bad at all
Try this with CRZ. Malaysia is littered with these little buggers :D
I suspected Fanuc, Yaskawa or Mitsubishi Electric to make that move…
Good job Yamaha (not just “not bad” as someone posted earlier)! Some Malaysian doesn’t even know that some performance car (e.g. Toyota Altezza, Lexus LFA, XC90 V8, Ford Taurus, etc.) used Yamaha engine (or at least tuned by or co-developed with Yamaha). Now it is time to shine in EV!
Why Yamaha isn’t using this for their Yamaha bikes?
They probably will, but currently there are a few startups and a lot of established companies that wants to transition to electric for a lower cost, and they are looking for electric motors. By being an OEM they can make more money.
If Yamaha wants to make an electric bike they have to make sure the bike can sell well enough to cover their R&D cost. They have their R1, R6, R25, R15, MT-09, MT25, MT15, Xabre, V-Max, etc. With that lineup, it’s not unreasonable to think that they will struggle to sell their own electric sportsbike, especially when it will command a higher price tag.
Any idea what unit price they are likely to be targeting for the 47Hp version?