
Yamaha Motor, best known for its high-performance motorcycles, has developed an electric motor reaching the industry’s highest class in output density.
This unit is aimed at use in high-performance electric vehicles and other offerings in the high-output mobility segment. Yamaha said it will begin accepting orders for commissioned prototype development from April this year.
Since 2020, Yamaha Motor has been accepting commissions for developing prototype electric motors (35–200 kW) for automobiles and other mobility applications. However, the company has also newly developed a unit boasting a maximum output in the 350 kW (469 hp) class (operating voltage of 800V) intended for installation and use in hyper-EVs and other high-output applications.
The main feature of this newly developed electric motor is its compact construction that treats the mechanical and electrical components as a single entity, integrating the gear and inverter into one unit. The unit can use either oil or water for cooling, depending on a customer’s needs.
It was also developed in anticipation of installation and use of multiple units on a single vehicle.
This means that, from a design and manufacturing standpoint, integrating it into your vehicle is a lot easier than having to find places for discrete electronics all over the place.
Regarding commissioned prototype development, 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 Motor plans to exhibit the 350 kW class unit and its other electric motor prototypes at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2021 Yokohama scheduled for May 26 to May 28, 2021.