EXCLUSIVE: Yamaha EV Roadmap Reveal In April?

As per our sources, Yamaha might discuss its EV plans for India at the dealer conference scheduled for April 11

We already know Yamaha has scheduled a dealer conference on April 11. As per our sources, the Japanese bikemaker could discuss its EV roadmap for India at the event. Electric Vehicles (EVs) are quickly gaining popularity, and it’s high time that Yamaha jumps into the bandwagon as its rivals, Honda and Suzuki, are already working on EVs of their own. Here’s how Yamaha’s approach could be:

Going the Yamaha Neo’s way?

The Yamaha Neo’s was recently unveiled for the European market. This e-scooter is light, looks funky, and is perfect for urban mobility. However, It offers performance equivalent to that of just a 50cc petrol-engined scooter. Sure, it has removable batteries weighing just 8kg, but their range is also limited to just 37km (claimed, WMTC figure). To make matters worse, the Yamaha Neo’s commands quite a premium as it retails at GBP 3,005 (around Rs 2.98 lakh), making it really expensive for what it offers. Even if Yamaha heavily localises the electric scooter, it will still not make sense for a competitive market like India where affordable e-scooters with decent range are the key. 

A Green Fascino, perhaps?

Yamaha already has the Fascino 125 Fi, designed and developed specifically for the Indian market. It’s the lightest in class, packs an engine with segment-first mild-hybrid tech, and is a well-rounded 125cc scooter. Yamaha could take a leaf out of Suzuki’s book and develop an electric scooter based on the Yamaha Fascino’s platform, just like Suzuki’s upcoming electric scooter, the Burgman Electric, which is based on the Burgman Street. This approach will save Yamaha a lot of development costs as the basic foundations are already in place. 

More importantly, this approach will also cut down on development time for Yamaha. Bringing out a capable electric scooter on time will be crucial for the Japanese bikemaker. Honda is already working on an EV, which could likely be along the lines of the Honda Activa Electric. As mentioned earlier, Suzuki is already one step ahead with the Burgman Electric, the production-ready version of which has been spotted testing several times. Even Hero MotoCorp is all set to launch its electric scooter under the Vida sub brand on July 1. 

Apart from these upcoming electric scooters, Yamaha will face competition from other already-existing EVs including the Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube Electric, Ola S1, Ather 450X and Simple One.