Yamaha has unveiled the Neo electric scooter, which the company hopes will make it big in the international market and one of its plans could be to launch in India early.
The Neo, which will be one of Yamaha’s first electric scooters to go on to the production stage, is likely to be available in select countries, in the initial phase.
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| Yamaha Neo e-scooter |
Yamaha Neo electric scooter is the equivalent of a 50 cc petrol-powered scooter and its performance is quite similar to the petrol one.
The Neo is based on the Yamaha E02 concept that was displayed by Yamaha at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2019.
The Japanese company also sells an internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered Neo 50 cc scooter in a few international markets.
The Neo EV scooter has a hub-mounted electric motor that offers a top speed, which is suitable for commuting in cities. The EV also comes with a swappable lithium-ion battery pack.
Yamaha has inked a pact with many other two-wheeler biggies such as KTM, Piaggio and Honda and may also set up its own battery-swapping infra.
Neo’s e-scooter could reach several dealerships in a few countries by this summer itself but it seems India may have to wait longer before the Neo comes into the country. But, maybe, not too long.
Yamaha had also unveiled its E01 battery-powered concept scooter. And, the difference with the Neo is that the E01 will be powered by an engine equivalent to the 125 cc one that its ICE counterpart has.
The production-spec version of the E01 is likely to emerge around 2024.
Yamaha has been among the first Japanese two-wheeler players that are proactive so far as rolling out electric models are concerned. The Neo is propelled by a hub motor with an output of around 2kW.
The Neo’s swappable batteries are similar to the Bounce Infinity E1 that was recently launched in India. It is likely that Yamaha Neo EV’s battery charge could last up to 70 kms.
The Yamaha E01 e-scooter is more powerful and it is also on the verge of going to the production stage. The E01 may begin its journey as a ride-sharing fleet in one of Europe’s major cities.
With this, Yamaha will get to test its E01 scooter in the real world and any issues can be tackled before it is rolled out to private customers.
A few in the Japanese media have tried out a development unit of the 125 cc E01 e-scooter. It showed a range of 70 km at full charge. The 125 cc E01 comes with three riding modes — Eco, Normal and Power.
The warning lights surrounding the display seem to indicate that Bluetooth connectivity may be part of the features.
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With European regulations in mind, it may be that the E01 will have a power output of 11kW (15hp). This will conform to the light electric scooter regulatory class.
Both these Yamaha EVs could be low-cost urban mobility solutions. With charging being one of the major roadblocks, Yamaha is thinking about swappable batteries for the Neo.
With competition hotting up in the Indian two-wheeler market, Yamaha e-scooters — the E01 and the Neo — could find their way into India’s showrooms pretty soon so as to get a competitive edge.
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