Yamaha has been working for over a decade on what is assumed to be its future range of plug-in models. Even though, at the end of last year Eric de SeynesEuropean President of Yamaha, will speak openly about the future of the two-wheeled sector and the clear commitment by the Japanese brand to the constant evolution of the hydrogen engine.
Looking back, it was in the 2013 season when the tuning fork company first showed its PES1 concept and later, in 2015, the evolution of this, the PES2. At the same time, some images were leaked from the patent registry confirming that Yamaha was still working on various types of electric motorcycles, even showing us where to place the essential charging plug on each type of motorcycle.
Yamaha is back with a plug-in electric sports bike
Time passes, but Yamaha seems to be continuing to evolve what appears to finally be the long-awaited high-performance plug-in sportbike, probably equipped with “the fake clutch lever that looks like a clutch lever, works like a clutch lever, but is not literally a clutch lever.”
According to the latest patent registration images, which we have learned thanks to our colleagues at Cycle World, we can see a sporty bike that sports an electric motor, along with a high-performance battery pack installed in the place where the traditional combustion engine is usually found.
The brand combines a two-piece chassis where the upper tubular frame embraces the propulsion system. At the rear we find a reinforced swingarm that is connected to it by a monoshock system, positioned almost horizontally, while it is anchored directly to the central part of the structure.
A major innovation in Yamaha’s plug-in sports bike is the cooling system used to keep the engine and batteries at temperature. In this case, it is air-cooled and not liquid-cooled, as is usually the case. This leads us to think of a lower final weight, less technical complexity, as well as a substantial saving in manufacturing costs.
On the other hand, the inverter in charge of converting electricity is anchored to the lower part of the motorcycle, while the charger is located under the seat itself. Now we just have to wait and see how far the brand plans to evolve this platform, in terms of power and range of autonomy.
It is likely that, if it were to go into production, it would end up being offered in different versions limited precisely by these aspects.
