Electric scooters are being revealed at a rapid rate by Yamaha. The latest is the Yamaha E01 which is said to be a 50 to 125cc equivalent scooter (as opposed to the recently revealed NEO which was a 50cc equivalent) . Yamaha calls the latest offering, which will feature fixed batteries rather than the swappable technology that has shown so much promise, a proof on concept for developing new consumer models including ride sharing and institutional clients.
Yamaha states that the main features of the EO1 are:
1) an electric motor developed and manufactured in-house by Yamaha for powerful, high-quality performance, 2) a battery delivering approx. 104 km*1 of cruising range from a full charge, along with three different charging systems to choose from to best suit usage, 3) a model-specific frame with a design reflecting the technology garnered through sportbike development, and 4) styling based on Yamaha’s Jin-Ki Kanno EV Design concept that places the MOTOROiD*2 concept model at the top of the pyramid.
Yamaha says the scooter will be introduced in Europe and several countries in Asia for testing starting in July of 2022. This is the third electric scooter revealed by Yamaha in just the last several months. The NEO was intended for Europe while the Yamaha EMF was a scooter designed to be compatible with the Gogoro battery swapping platform primarily in Taiwan. Both the NEO and the EMF featured battery swapping capability although the only the Europe-bound NEO could be charged at home.
The “MOTOROID” was a very enticing electric concept model back in 2017 that looked like the electric motorcycle of the future we all would have wished for if electric was going to be the future. The motorcycle featured moveable body parts, haptic technology and artificial intelligence. If the Yamaha EO1 id a step in that direction, we are all for it.