In the world of EV vehicles, Yamaha Motor is not exactly a mainstay. That’s not to say that Yamaha Motor is not a company with tradition. The motors produced by the Japanese company rank among top-performing Powersports engines. From motorcycles and off-road vehicles to boats, outboard motors, pianos, sound cards, Yamaha now moves towards electric engines, confronting the EV market with a new line of electric motors.
Little known fact: if you Google search Yamaha, Yamaha Motor will be the first result. No wonder, as the company stands for successes like the V10 engine from the Lexus LFA or the LC500, 5L V8. And some of you may still recall the Ford SHO 24 Valve DDC V6, another classic that Yamaha made.
On February 4, 2020, Yamaha Motor announced it began accepting orders for a high-performance electric motor prototype. The new motor is capable of generating 200kW (268 HP) in output thanks to a high-efficiency segment conductor, advanced casting and processing technologies.
Depending on the needs of the potential client, Yamaha will customize the prototype EV Motor, applying production technology that is adapted from its various product groups like motorcycles.
In the video above, you can see Yamaha engineers testing the car. One thing that stands out is the noise that the test engine makes. Usually, EVs don’t make a lot of noise, as electric motors have a different operating mode, unlike combustion engines. This test unit sounds like a dream come true. It sounds like the driver can engage with the noise-imprint that the engine makes, and almost emulates a traditional one in acoustic experience. If the sound is not added in post-production, then this prototype is the best sounding electric motor yet.
The smallest motor presented by Yamaha is a 35kW unit that Yamaha is developing as we speak. The biggest one, at least for now, is the previously mentioned 200kW. And the line can range, depending on the client’s needs, from the 35kW to 200kW of IPMSM motors. IPMSM stands for Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor, in this case, being cooled with water or oil.
This innovative 200kW high-performance electric motor prototype was originally destined for an electric motorcycle. But after careful consideration, and seeing first hand the power that the prototype motor was capable of, Yamaha moved on from bikes towards four-wheel vehicles. By inspecting what other automotive companies are doing in Japan, we can deduce that this new direction has its roots in how Toyota is doing business right now.
Toyota is moving away from an automotive company image, branding itself as a mobility company at the moment. They will keep their traditional client base, at least for some time, as they will introduce new electric-powered vehicles. Yamaha, as a partner of Toyota, is just copying mid-EV-exam and leaving only the bad parts out. They have the knowledge base from Toyota, and they now have a powerful motor that can be customized to fit a car, a wheelchair, or a motorcycle. All they need now are clients.
The size of the motor is the definitive factor here. As they get smaller, and the engine itself can be fitted directly on the wheels of the vehicle, the manufacturer of the product can have more space for the trunk compartment, outfit the car with a bigger battery, or even construct the car around the new Yamaha electric motors line. The options are limitless in this case, as the sky is the limit when it comes to the imagination of engineers that get their hands on new toys.
Sure, it all depends on when the new electric motors line from Yamaha is going to come out, with only an announcement, that previewed the new line, and an impressive test drive. The Japanese manufacturer is keeping a tight lip about the launch of the motors, but, we can expect to see them on the market, in actual cars, in about one to two years. The sooner they move in on this action, the sooner they will get a bigger slice of the business.
Yamaha needs to move in and prove the worth of this heavenly sounding engine. They are no strangers to the automotive and mobility industry, and they can access big names. We are talking here about Lexus, or Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki, and the list can go on. Combined with the fact that they already have a relationship with most of the manufacturers, Yamaha can shift the EV market, if the price of the electric motor is right.
If they can keep the price reasonable, Yamaha has a hit on their hands. One that has more facets than most people imagine. Sure, they will go for all traditional routes to implement the new tech in as many vehicles as they can. But the underline of this discussion is the conversion market, which is drooling over the new engines made by Yamaha. Why? Because of the size and the fact that you can serialize them. An array of motors of this caliber can replace a normal combustion engine. If you know what you are doing, and if it’s legal in your area of the globe. The private conversion market is going to have a field day with these Yamaha motors.
If Yamaha is going to play their cards right in the future, the first step is going to be the implementation in the mobility department. This line of motors, especially due to the flexibility of the motor platform itself, is going to see wide adoption by manufacturers and users. The EV conversion market is begging for something like this, and if they are going to be cheap, as they are efficient, the new Yamaha electric motors will change everything.
The size of the motor is the definitive factor here. As they get smaller, and the engine itself can be fitted directly on the wheels of the vehicle, the manufacturer of the product can have more space for the trunk compartment, outfit the car with a bigger battery, or even construct the car around the new Yamaha electric motors line. The options are limitless in this case, as the sky is the limit when it comes to the imagination of engineers that get their hands on new toys.
Sure, it all depends on when the new electric motors line from Yamaha is going to come out, with only an announcement, that previewed the new line, and an impressive test drive. The Japanese manufacturer is keeping a tight lip about the launch of the motors, but, we can expect to see them on the market, in actual cars, in about one to two years. The sooner they move in on this action, the sooner they will get a bigger slice of the business.
Yamaha needs to move in and prove the worth of this heavenly sounding engine. They are no strangers to the automotive and mobility industry, and they can access big names. We are talking here about Lexus, or Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki, and the list can go on. Combined with the fact that they already have a relationship with most of the manufacturers, Yamaha can shift the EV market, if the price of the electric motor is right.
If they can keep the price reasonable, Yamaha has a hit on their hands. One that has more facets they most people imagine. Sure, they will go for all traditional routes to implement the new tech in as many vehicles as they can. But the underline of this discussion is the conversion market, which is salivating over the new engines made by Yamaha. Why? Because of the size and the fact that you can serialize them. An array of motors of this caliber can replace a normal combustion engine. If you know what you are doing, and if it’s legal in your area of the globe. The private conversion market is going to have a field day with these Yamaha motors.
If Yamaha is going to play their cards right in the future, the first step is going to be the implementation in the mobility department. This line of motors, especially due to the flexibility of the motor platform itself, is going to see wide adoption by manufacturers and users. The EV conversion market is begging for something like this, and if they are going to be cheap, as they are efficient, the new Yamaha electric motors will change everything.
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