Honda and Yamaha EV tie-up
Honda and Yamaha today announced that they have reached an agreement for Honda to supply Yamaha with electric motorcycle models for the Japanese market.
The models will be based on the Honda “EM1 e:” and “BENLY e: I” Class-1 category* models, as an OEM (original equipment manufacturer). The two companies will proceed with further discussion toward the signing of a formal agreement.
In October 2016, the two companies began discussions toward a possible business alliance in the Japanese Class-1 category motorcycle market to address various challenges motorcycle manufacturers would face, including compliance with increasingly stringent safety standards and emissions regulations, as well as the pursuit of electrification.
The key areas of discussion included:
1) supplying 50cc scooter models as an OEM,
2) joint development/OEM supply of next-generation 50cc business scooter models, and
3) collaboration toward the popularisation of electric motorcycles in the Class-1 category.
Based on that discussion, in March 2018, Honda began supplying 50cc scooter models to Yamaha as an OEM.
Moreover, in April 2019, Honda and Yamaha, together with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Suzuki Motor Corporation, established the Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles for the purpose of popularising electric motorcycle models.
The Consortium discussed the possibility of standardising mutual-use swappable batteries and their swapping systems as one of the solutions to address key challenges in the popularization of electric motorcycles – range and charging time – and reached an agreement to standardize (establish common specifications) in March 2021.
Following these initiatives, Honda and Yamaha have agreed that Honda would supply models in the Class-1 category to Yamaha as an OEM, based on the EM1 e: and BENLY e: I, powered by the Honda Mobile Power Pack e: swappable battery that comply with the common specifications. Through this collaboration, the two companies will continue to offer electric motorcycle models that will satisfy the needs of more customers in the Class-1 category, which is a popular category for both personal mobility and business uses.
To further popularise electric motorcycles in the Class-1 category in Japan, the two companies will enhance their product lineup and continue to address various challenges facing electric motorcycles such as range, charging time, performance and cost, as the two companies strive to contribute to the realization of carbon-neutral society.
*The Class-1 category: A category defined by the Road Vehicles Act of Japan as “vehicles equipped with two or more wheels and an engine with total displacement of 50 cc or less or an electric motor with rated output of 0.60 kW or less.”
