Honda to supply Yamaha with electric two-wheelers for Japanese market

Yamaha Motor Co and Honda Motor Co have announced that they have reached an agreement for Honda to supply Yamaha with electric two-wheeler models for the Japanese market, based on the Honda ‘EM1 e:’ and ‘Benly e: I’ Class-1 category models, as an OEM. The two companies will proceed with further discussion toward the signing of a formal agreement.

The Japanese Class-1 category is defined by the Road Vehicles Act of Japan as ‘vehicles equipped with two or more wheels and an engine with total displacement of 50cc or less or an electric motor with rated output of 0.60 kW or less.’

In May 2023, Honda took the covers off the EM1 e, following the Japanese automaker’s September 2022 announcement of plans to introduce 10 or more electric two- wheelers globally by 2025. The ‘EM’ stands for Electric Moped and aimed squarely at a young demographic looking for easy, fun, emission-free urban transport. The EM1 e, which is equipped with a swappable Honda Mobile Power Pack, has a usable range of 41.3km and a top speed of 45kph. Key product highlights include digital instrument display, underseat storage space, USB socket, pillion footpegs and rear carrier.

Honda had revealed the Benly e-series in December 2019. Developed with a focus on user-friendliness, Benly e models have a large and flat rear deck to transport load items, and a reverse assist function in case the scooter needs to be turned around in a narrow space or on an inclined surface.

In October 2016, the two companies had begun discussions toward a possible business alliance in the Japanese Class-1 category motorcycle market to address various challenges motorcycle manufacturers would face, including compliance with increasingly stringent safety standards and emissions regulations, as well as the pursuit of electrification.

The key areas of discussion included:
- Supplying 50cc scooter models as an OEM,
- Joint development/OEM supply of next-generation 50cc business scooter models, and
- Collaboration toward the popularization of electric motorcycles in the Class-1 category.

Based on that discussion, in March 2018, Honda began supplying 50cc scooter models to Yamaha as an OEM.

In April 2019, Yamaha and Honda, together with Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Suzuki Motor Corporation, established the Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles for the purpose of popularizing electric motorcycle models. The Consortium discussed the possibility of standardizing mutual-use swappable batteries and their swapping systems as one of the solutions to address key challenges in the popularization of electric motorcycles – range and charging time – and reached an agreement to standardize (establish common specifications) in March 2021.

Following these initiatives, Yamaha and Honda have agreed that Honda would supply models in the Class-1 category to Yamaha as an OEM, based on the EM1 e: and BENLY e: I, powered by the Honda Mobile Power Pack e: swappable battery that comply with the common specifications. Through this collaboration, the two companies will continue to offer electric motorcycle models that will satisfy the needs of more customers in the Class-1 category, which is a popular category for both personal mobility and business uses.

To further popularise electric two-wheelers in the Class-1 category in Japan, the two companies will enhance their product lineup and continue to address various challenges facing EVs such as range, charging time, performance and cost.