Phase Two, Complete
This week, Yamaha pulled the covers on their newly developed (in-house) electric motor that produces a stunning 475 horsepower. For context, the brand new 2021 Chevrolet Corvette produces around the same power figures (490), but this mighty little electric engine is quite literally a fraction the size of the 6.2L V8 found cramming the engine bay of that new budget supercar.
Although 475 horsepower is about four times too much power for your everyday motorcycle, this could spell amazing news for the motorcycle industry since Yamaha was at the forefront of the project. Yamaha has been pretty quiet when it comes to electrifying their motorcycle lineup (or at least providing the industry with a single EV model), so this came as a serious surprise nonetheless.
Back in July of 2020, Yamaha revealed their series of EV crate motors ranging from 47 horsepower to 268. Although this confirmed that Yamaha was deep into the development of EV tech, nothing spells “We’re serious about electrification” quite like a motor pushing close to 500 horsepower.
Yamaha themselves don’t have plans to build anything with this motor as of yet, but it still reveals that at the end of the day, The Iwata-based factory is moving into EV tech at an accelerated pace. Yamaha will be taking orders for this EV motor in hopes that other vehicle manufacturers will take the technology and include it in their own vehicle (most likely car) builds.
As curious as we are about what monstrosities the car industry will be able to come up with thanks to this new mighty motor, I still cannot stop myself from focusing on the fact that Yamaha has taken their second baby-step into EV R&D. It’s safe to assume that a Yamaha electric motorcycle model could possibly be right around the corner (finally).
I want to have these 496 horse power motors put in my 2017 NSX.
I wanna build a 475hp sports bike lol
Motors, batteries and infrastructure.
Misleading to say the motor is smaller here as the weight and bulk of electric vehicles are the batteries. So any Corvette with a lighter electric engine is going to be significantly heavier than a gas equivalent.
Good point. Let’s all calm down.
Exactly! By the time you add the unbelievably non-green battery it’ll be much heavier than the Corvette engine along with a tankful of gas
then figure in how in-efficient it is to charge batteries and these things will cost a fortune to run.
“Although 475 horsepower is about four times too much power for your everyday motorcycle” i don’t understand.
That’s the spirit!
475 horsepower is 4x too much power for your everyday motorcycle.
I fear, good sir that you are completely incorrect.
maybe 2 times to much hp. but you aren’t factoring batteries. so this may come in at 1000 lbs. in which case 475 hp may not be enough… /shrug
batteries are HORRIBLY inefficient to charge. It probably gets 1 mpg too.
I drive a 10,000 lb 1997 diesel truck and will drive diesel until the day I die ? – probably not the right guy to hash EV specs out with haha!
Snowmobiles and boats. Bikes can’t carry enough battery to make sense quite yet.
i want to convert my V/star 650 with this motor
Now that will make a real modern Vmax,i can’t wait.