Yamaha has been making strides in its home market of Japan when it comes to electric two-wheelers. We’ve already talked about Yamaha’s new e-scooter and e-bike options that were recently introduced, as well as the E01, the company’s first electric commuter scooter. Now, the company is rolling out an experimental leasing program for the E01 in Japan, in order to provide a sort of long-term demo, prior to actually launching it for sale in the market.
According to Yamaha, the experimental leasing program’s main goal is to collect usage data about the scooter, to see how they can further improve the user experience. Factors such as connectivity, particularly on 3G and LTE lines, play a major role in ensuring continuous connectivity with the scooter, as well as other issues concerning day-to-day usage. That said, the Yamaha E01 isn’t all too different from other electric scooters in the market. However, knowing Yamaha, they always seem to go the extra mile in ensuring the reliability and dependability of their products.
On paper, as well as in the few test runs conducted with the Yamaha E01, the electric scooter boasts performance similar to a 125cc commuter scooter, such as the NMAX, a popular commuter in Asia and Europe. The E01 churns out 8.1 kW, which translates to around 12 horsepower. As such, tackling the urban jungle at speeds of around 45 miles per hour is a piece of cake for this electric commuter. Furthermore, Yamaha has equipped it with three riding modes and even a traction control system to keep that instantaneous torque on tap. There’s also a programmable regenerative braking system, that lets you charge up the battery slightly while coasting.
The electric motor in the E01 is an air-cooled, permanent magnet, embedded synchronous motor which claims to achieve impressive efficiency thanks to Yamaha’s flat square thick winding technology. Unlike other more powerful liquid-cooled units, the E01 is simpler, easier to maintain, and more ideal for the daily commute. It sends power to the rear wheel via a silent, low-maintenance belt-drive system.
Further adding to the convenience is the placement of the charging port. While other scooters require you to flip the seat open, or access a compartment in the front apron, the E01’s charging port is placed on the front of the scooter, making it easy to reach charging outlets with shorter cables. The scooter comes equipped with a standard portable 100V charger, which when plugged to a power source, can fully charge the battery in fourteen hours. Meanwhile, a 200V charger can juice up the battery in five hours. Yamaha claims a range of 104 kilometers (65 miles) on a single charge.
