Japan and the European Union continue to reduce their carbon footprint with ever-increasing emissions regulations. Euro 5 compliance already forced many motorcycle manufacturers to revise or discontinue specific models, and Japan’s impending emissions standard updates could produce the same effect.
Japanese media outlets even claimed that 20 Big Four (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki) models could bite the dust due to the country’s impending Euro 5-aligned regulations. Governments aren’t the only entities striving for a cleaner future, however.
Yamaha presented the Yamaha Motor Group Environmental Plan 2050 in July, 2019. As a part of the multi-pronged plan, Iwata aimed to produce more alternative fuel and electric mobility options to reduce the brand’s overall environmental impact. In addition to vehicle development, Yamaha set out to drastically decrease CO2 emissions produced by the firm’s factories by 2050.
Team Blue is now accelerating the trajectory of those production-based initiatives by 15 years, targeting a 92-percent slash in plant emissions (compared to 2010) by 2035. To achieve that ambitious undertaking, Yamaha will implement both energy-saving systems and clean energy alternatives.
The company’s value-based energy approach will integrate minimum size and minimum energy equipment to maximize efficiency. Both domestic (Japan) and international factories will also eliminate standby/fixed energy consumption and adopt auto-shutdown protocols to conserve as much energy (and emissions) as possible.
To further offset facility energy usage, the bLU cRU will introduce renewable energy sources. For the firm’s Iwata headquarters, that means a transition to zero-carbon hydroelectric power by July, 2022. Yamaha will switch other domestic and international locations to carbon-free equipment such as solar panels, electric furnaces, and steam-free air conditioning units by 2030 as well.
Yamaha already collaborates with both Japanese and European competitors on swappable battery technology. However, Team Blue's expedited green plan sets it apart from its rivals and sets it up for a cleaner future.
