Yamaha Announces 469 hp Electric Motor – Where Could It Go?
By Edward A. Sanchez – April 14, 2021
The automotive aftermarket is slowly starting to embrace electrification, with Holley announcing its EVI initiative at SEMA 2019, and teaming up with Don Garlits to help build the all-electric Swamp Rat 38. Well-known aftermarket performance brand AEM announced a lineup of products designed to help facilitate EV conversions, including programmable EV control units, a CAN keypad for PRND functions, and power distribution units. So while there are some traditionalists or overtly anti-EV people in the automotive performance sector, there are many companies that recognize that demand will be growing for electrification of vintage and custom applications. You can add one more name to that list: Yamaha.
Yamaha’s latest EV offering is an electric motor capable of outputting 469 hp.
Yamaha has already tiptoed into the EV space, with the announcement of an EV motor that it previewed in what appeared to be an Alfa Romeo 4C. That particular unit was rated at a maximum output of 200 kW (268 hp). This week, Yamaha upped the power (and excitement) factor considerably by announcing a 350 kW (469 hp) motor unit.
Yamaha optimizes the packaging of the unit by combining the gear reduction and inverter into a single unit, making for a compact package that would lend itself well to custom applications where space is at a premium.
Specifics on the availability of this new, higher-output motor are somewhat vague, only saying:
“Yamaha will leverage its production technology and know-how in the casting, machining and assembly fields that give the company the flexibility to adapt to the needs of motorcycles and its numerous other products, its prototyping equipment and facilities and more in order to develop prototype motors tailoring to the specific requirements of clients in a short period.”
Yamaha has dabbled in EV tech before, most notably fitting an EV drivetrain in what appeared to be an Alfa Romeo 4C.
Whether “clients” means OEMs or custom restomod builders remains to be seen, although I sincerely hope it will be offered to small, boutique custom builders and restorers.
Yamaha designed the unit to be used as many as one per wheel, which would bring total output up to a mind-blowing 1,400 kW (1,876 hp). Heck, I’d be happy with just one! That level of power would bring whatever vehicle the motors are installed into solidly into the “hypercar” realm. Although some have heard of the Rimac C_Two, not many have heard of the Aspark Owl, an ultra-exclusive, ultra-rare (50 units), and ultra-expensive ($3.2 million) Japanese EV hypercar. The specs of the Owl specifically talk about four motors, with a claimed combined output of 1,984 hp and 1,475 lb-ft of torque. The specifics of the development and supplier of the motors is not public information.
Yamaha, if you’re listening, I humbly submit my 1983 Buick Regal wagon as a test-bed for this new motor, and I’m only asking for one, as I’m afraid nearly 2,000 hp would destroy the chassis.
Between the lower-power and higher-power applications, Yamaha could potentially be the future motor of choice for EV restomods, especially if it provides software, tuning, and calibration tools to custom builders. You can read more about Yamaha’s EV motor efforts here.
(Images courtesy Yamaha)
- Podcast - Facebook - Google News - Twitter -
