Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has announced that they’ll supply Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd with electric motorcycle models for the Japanese market, based on the Honda “EM1 e:” and “BENLY e: I” models.
The companies have been reportedly working on electrification collaborations since 2016, hoping to outline a strategy for Japanese Class-1 motorcycles and addressing challenges such as compliance with increasingly stringent safety/emission standards, and pursuing electrification of e-bikes. All the while, Honda was supplying 50cc scooters to Yamaha as an OEM.
In 2019, Honda and Yamaha joined hands with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Suzuki Motor Corporation to establish the Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles. The companies collaborated to standardize mutual-use swappable batteries and their swapping systems as one solution to address key challenges in popularizing electric motorcycles like range and charging time, eventually reaching an agreement to standardize in 2021.
Following these initiatives, Honda is now planning to supply models in the Class-1 motorcycle category to Yamaha as an OEM based on EM1 e: and BENLY e: I powered by Honda Mobile Power Pack e: swappable battery complying with common specifications.
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