Like so many mobility companies, Yamaha is looking to bolster its EV nous. Unlike so many of those companies, however, the motorcycle giant is looking to bring that technology in-house and the fruits of that research are plainly displayed in a a recently-released video boasting its development of compact electric engines.
Of course, there’s small versions — 35 kilowatts or 47 horsepower — no doubt destined for motorcycle use. But more exciting are the ultra-compact 201-hp/150-kW jobbies powering a sporty “mid-engined” prototype.
One of the advantages Yamaha has over upstarts — and even legacy automakers — in electric motor development is the ability to make “extremely compact designs” thanks to its high-tech casting systems developed from the world of motorcycle racing. According to the lead of development for the twin-motor Yamaha Motor High-performance Electric Motor Prototype, Takashi Hara, “making the units compact was paramount” for Kanno Seino, or “exhilarating performance.” Hara goes on to note that the company is also working its magic in the sound department, claiming that “fine-tuning the sound” is how Yamaha “expresses fun” and is part of Yamaha’s quest for “emotion-driven engineering.”
Now, this isn’t the Yamaha’s first go-round at building automotive powertrains. It famously built the double-overhead-cam engines that made the first-gen Ford Taurus SHO one of the most acclaimed domestic sports sedans of recent memory. Yamaha also engineered the 4.4-litre V8 that powered Volvo’s original XC90. But its closest automotive partner is without a doubt Toyota, for whom it first engineered the rare as hen’s teeth — and eminently collectible — 1967 to 1970 2000 GT. Since then, it has built the sonorous V10 that powered Lexus’s incredible LFA, the naturally-aspirated V8 in the Lexus RC and the Celica GT-S’s 2ZZ-GE 1.8L that also powered the Lotus Exige.
Reports earlier this year suggest that Yamaha would make its electric powertrains available to consumers — “we will customize the prototype to the specific needs of individual customers and deliver in short time spans” — the electric equivalent of so-called “crate motors” that many automakers offer to the aftermarket. But could this really be just a smokescreen for yet another collaboration with a major automaker? If so, then although the company’s twin-motored prototype — 402 horses and bags o’ torque — is almost assuredly an Alfa Romeo 4C (no doubt chosen because it’s the cheapest “mule” available with a carbon-fibre tub), the leading candidate for a Yamaha-powered sports car still has to be Toyota, who has dropped hints of reviving the MR2 as an electric roadster.
The world’s largest automaker may be the greatest at producing large production runs, but has a history of collaboration — Subaru and BMW recently, not to mention Yamaha in years past — when it comes to limited production sports cars. Considering that Toyota is a little behind in electric vehicle development and that a Yamaha-produced sports car could not only be produced quickly but also provide a halo for future EVs — exactly like Tesla did with the original Roadster — it’s a good guess that, if the Yamaha High-performance Electric Motor Prototype ever does see the light of day, it will be wearing a Toyota badge.
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August 05, 2020 at 10:12PM
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Yamaha is jumping into the electric motor game - Driving
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