Yamaha forms joint venture to produce e-bike motors

Yamaha has signed an agreement with India’s largest bicycle manufacturer to establish a joint venture for the production of hub-mounted drive units for electric assist bicycles (e-bikes).

Hero Cycles, which is a subsidiary of Hero Motors, will hold 90% of the joint venture, with Yamaha taking the remaining 10% stake.

The e-bike industry is growing rapidly, with Europe being the largest market. Roughly half of Europe’s e-bike offerings use hub-mounted drive units, which house the electric motor in the centre of the drive wheel, rather than in the centre of the chassis, as is common with bicycles.

Related Reading:
MV Agusta joins E-bike revolution
GasGas enters E-bike world
BMW reveals high-tech AMBY electric bike concept
E-Bike World Tour highlights electric mobility boom

As e-bikes continue to rise, Yamaha is hoping that hub-mounted drive options will too. The Japanese firm already offers e-bikes with centre-mounted drive units, but this new deal with Hero will hopefully broaden its reach within the e-bike world.

Electric transport is a hot topic in a number of industries, with environmental concerns forcing manufacturers to quickly adapt. While electric motorcycles have been a little slower to evolve, e-bikes have become hugely popular as both recreational and practical forms of transport.

E-bikes are bicycles that use electric motors to increase power produced from pedalling. There is also a growing market for hybrid-style e-bikes which blur the lines between bicycle and motorcycle. Melbourne-based Stealth Electric Bikes is one such example.