Yamaha celebrates its pioneering electric bike with latest drive unit

Ebikes appear to be a comparatively latest creation, but this 12 months marks 30 years since Yamaha invented the trendy electric bicycle. Coinciding with the occasion is the motorcycle maker’s debut of a brand new ebike motor designed for urban commutes. News of many automotive-branded ebikes from the likes of Jeep, Hummer, Audi and Harley-Davidson cross our desks, but we were surprised to learn that Yamaha even sold ebikes within the U.S. Apparently, they’ve since 2017.

One would think there’d be more hoopla around this, as Yamaha pioneered the ebike as we comprehend it today. Previously, electric bicycles had essentially strapped motors to a wheel or bottom bracket as a substitute for pedaling. In 1989 Yamaha debuted the world’s first ebike with PAS, a Power Assist System, which boosted the rider’s pedaling motion. The quantity of boost relied on pedal pressure, making for a natural and intuitive user experience.

The PAS ebikes went on sale in Japan in 1993, fitted to an urban commuter bike commonly utilized in Japan. Since then, Yamaha has produced 2 million ebikes in its home country and 4 million drive units globally.

The most recent drive unit is the PW-series C2, a 250-watt unit that gives 41 lb-ft of torque, 10% greater than its predecessor. The whole unit weighs only 6.6 kilos and has a max support speed of 15.5 mph. Additional features include 4 modes and a walk assist function. It’s debuting in Europe and tailored for European riding habits, but a variant is probably going going to make its solution to the U.S.

It is sensible for the anniversary drive unit to be for city bikes, as that is where the Yamaha PAS system got its start. Beyond that, nevertheless, Yamaha makes several more drive units for applications like speed riding or mountain biking. They sell the drive units for other ebike designers to include into their designs, but Yamaha also has a lineup of their very own ebikes. Earlier this 12 months it released a thirtieth anniversary edition of tits YDX-MORO 07 mountain ebike.