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Introducing a representative example of CSR activities from FY2010
Illustration of electric motorcycles being used for urban mobility based on the compact city concept
The PAS Brace-L, electrically power assisted bicycle, is popular with male riders who use it for commuting or leisure
The movement of people and goods is an underlying dynamic in our society and our lives. As this evolves, our means of transportation diversify. Yamaha Motor recognizes the considerable role that personal mobility can play, not only in resolving global issues such as using resources and energy more efficiently, measures dealing with global warming and conservation of the environment, but also in resolving local issues such as traffic congestion in urban areas and the hollowing-out of inner-city areas. Based on this recognition, we have been working to popularize Smart Power to help realize low-carbon mobility for society.
Examples of products that use Smart Power (new power sources, primarily for electric vehicles, designed to create a new paradigm of mobility) include electrically power assisted bicycles and electric motorcycles. Both of these are personal commuter vehicles, equipped with performance and manageability suited to short-distance movement, and which do not emit any CO2 while running. In addition to their energy efficiency leading to a reduced environmental impact, expectations are also growing with regard to their contributions for future urban development and their potential for bringing about new lifestyles.
Electric motorcycles are expected to play an important part in mobility for society in the future. In April 2010, we released the EC-03 onto the Japanese market. The EC-03 adopts a plug-in charging format, utilizing a high energy density lithium-ion battery and an onboard charger.
The EC-03 is an electric motorcycle released in Japan in autumn 2010; it adopts a plug-in charging format, allowing the battery to be recharged at home or away
The product concept best suited for short-distance transportation in urban areas is a proposal made by Yamaha Motor as a manufacturer of transportation machinery for the compact city concept (urban development in which urban functions are centralized) being talked about recently in Japan and Europe. At the Yamaha Motor group, we have begun efforts for the full-scale spread of EVs (electric vehicles), which is predicted for the 2020s. An example of these efforts is our Smart Power test-ride events throughout Japan. The EC-03 has also been developed based on the requirements of the Taiwanese and European markets, and introduction in those markets is planned for 2011.
The EC-03 used in demonstration tests by the city government, companies, universities and industry-support organizations, sponsored by the Hamamatsu Next Generation Eco-Car Pilot Experiment Committee
In various parts of Japan, demonstration tests using electric vehicles are being conducted by local governments, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), aimed at realizing next-generation mobility for society.
The main examples include: Kanagawa Prefecture's Kanagawa EV Bike Project; the Hakone EV Town Project, one of the MOE's model programs; the Hamamatsu Next Generation Eco-Car Pilot Experiment Committee, with participation by industry, academia and government organizations from the local Hamamatsu region in Shizuoka Prefecture; the Project for Monitoring the Dissemination of Commercial EV Bikes, run by Osaka Prefecture, which has the greatest ownership of Class-1 category motorcycles (engine displacement of 50cc and under); and the Ultra-Compact Mobility Demonstration Test, promoted by the MLIT in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture. The Yamaha Motor group provides a range of cooperation, including the provision of the EC-03, the provision of electric motorcycles developed especially for the relevant project (monitor vehicles), and the planning and management of test-ride events.
These initiatives enable us to obtain diverse views from users, and because the bikes are actually being used, the possibilities of electric motorcycles are highlighted and any issues are brought to light. These are then reflected in the future development of products and the provision of customer services.
