Is Yamaha Working On A High-Performance Electric Bike?

A new patent application filed by Yamaha hints at the brand’s development of an electric motorcycle which will be more focussed on performance than any of the company’s existing EV models. The patent drawings show the silhouette of a sportbike with a steel trellis frame and what looks like an aluminium swingarm pivot. The trellis frame wraps around a finned case which will likely house batteries and electronics instead of an internal combustion engine. The electric motor is positioned behind the finned case, and that means the rear shock is positioned quite high up.

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Yamaha's patent drawings indicate the design's focus on maximising space for batteries and minimising weight of the motorcycle.

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What is important is the finned case, with Yamaha seems to be going for an air-cooled batteries, instead of the conventional approach to use liquid-cooled batteries in high-performance electric bikes. EV batteries are sensitive to temperature and perform optimally within a narrow range, so liquid-cooling is a tried and tested method. But Yamaha seems to be focussing on weight saving, at the same time banking on future generation of batteries to be able to cope with wider range of temperatures easily.

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The question is when will this electric sportbike see the light of day. Yamaha has so far adopted a wait and watch policy, waiting for the right market conditions for EVs before going into full production with high-performance EVs. But with over a decade of developing electric powertrains, most of which are largely unheard of, it probably won’t be long before Yamaha makes the move, and at least showcases its capabilities in EV development.

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