Yamaha ready to switch on electric era
The Japanese firm has revealed a range of electric models that will kick-start its electric mobility strategyYamaha has taken another giant leap towards an electric future, with the firm’s European arm announcing the addition of two electric scooters, three e-bikes, and an electric moped to its range.
Revealed as part of a program dubbed Switch ON, the new range includes the first Yamaha electric models to go into production.
Leading the charge is the all new Yamaha NEO’s – an electric scooter with performance that compares to a 50cc combustion engine. The NEO’s was first displayed at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show in the form of the E02 prototype.
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Also revealed as part of the Switch ON program, was a currently-unnamed electric scooter that will be the equivalent of a 125cc machine. This scooter was also on display at the Tokyo Motor Show as the E01 prototype.
In a live premiere video, Yamaha Motor Europe President Eric de Seynes revealed that the 125cc equivalent will not be sold publicly for now. Instead, it will be used for scooter sharing platforms in a major European city.
Yamaha also unveiled three new e-bikes in the All-Mountain, Gravel, and Urban segments. While Yamaha has been a key player in e-bike technology for years, these new models will be self-branded. Full details are still to be revealed, but is expected the bikes will be available in Europe by the end of 2022.
The final part of the Switch ON program was the reveal of an electric moped prototype dubbed B01. The concept includes Yamaha’s e-bike technology, and was created in association with Fantic and Motori Minarelli, but Yamaha expects it to evolve into a future production model.
The new Switch ON range appears to be initially European-focused, as focus on sustainability and electric mobility intensifies in the continent.
Yamaha also debuted a new colour that will feature on future electric products from the Japanese firm. Dubbed ‘Aqua’, the new colour is supposedly a mix of Yamaha’s racing blue and the symbolic colour for clean energy – green.
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