Yamaha electric motor unveiled – good for e-boats?

A video and Press Release about a new Yamaha electric motor are making the rounds on the electric car and motorcycle sites, and it makes us wonder if it is ready to be applied to electric yachts.

The reason we ask the question without any answer is because the information is extremely limited. Yamaha’s Press Release (shown in its entirety below) only says the (up to) 200kW motor is for ‘automobiles and other types of vehicles’.

Inside EVs reports that:

The company is calling it a prototype right now, so it may be a limited series motor, but with “industry-leading high power density” it sounds ideal for many DIY projects. And you don’t have to get the max output version since Yamaha will customize each unit it sells to meet the buyer’s specific needs – the lowest output version has 35 kW (47 horsepower).

Yamaha electric motor could drop into your boat?

Inside EVs goes on to describe it as a ‘crate motor’ with the implication that it is perfect for electric car conversions. So maybe it fits the bill perfectly for someone redoing their fossil fuel boat to go electric.

While it doesn’t have the adaptor plates to fit onto a Z-Drive/sterndrive like these motors from EPTechnologies and AQAForce, it does look like it could drop in as a viable replacement for big gas V8s, especially if the Yamaha electric motor has 200kW of power.

It would/could also work as an inboard motor attaching to existing shafts.

All the video tells us is that it works very nicely in an Alfa-Romeo. Nor is there any information about what batteries or battery systems are compatible with the motors. With the press release, there is the photograph at the top of this article labelled as the ‘Unit installing image’ and this photograph on the left, labelled as the ’35kW prototype unit under development’

The headline says that the company is ‘accepting orders’, but presumably that is within the industry as there is no information on how or where to order from. We’ll try to find out and let you know.

The motor is being announced as part of Yamaha’s ‘Transforming Mobility’ and ‘ART for Human Possibilities’ strategy announced just over a year ago in December 2018. Under the Transforming Mobility part of that announcement they want to be part of the  “accelerating trend towards electric motorization” and in the section dealing with ‘Rethinking Solutions’ they address the marine sector in particular, saying their goal is ‘Making full use of state-of-the-art technology, to help transform your marine life into a more safe and comfortable experience’

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PRESS RELEASE

February 4, 2020

Yamaha Motor Begins Accepting Orders for High-performance Electric Motor Prototype —Customized units to be produced rapidly for cars and other vehicles—

IWATA, JAPAN, February 4, 2020 —Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 7272) announced today it has begun accepting orders for a high-performance electric motor prototype that is capable of producing the industry-leading high power density for automobiles and other types of vehicles. The compact unit generates up to 200kW in output thanks to a high-efficiency segment conductor and advanced casting and processing technologies that Yamaha has cultivated over many years.

Yamaha will customize the prototype to the specific needs of individual customers and deliver in short time spans utilizing production technology that the company flexibly adapts to its various product groups, including motorcycles.

Going forward, Yamaha expects to deepen its knowledge of evolving market needs by adapting the motor to the requirements of individual customers.

This initiative is part of Yamaha Motor’s “Transforming Mobility” business strategy, which the company announced together with its long-term vision to 2030 under the banner of “ART for Human Possibilities” on December 11, 2018.

Overview of New Electric Motor
Motor type: Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (IPMSM)
Maximum output: 35 to 200kW
Cooling method: Water cooling or oil cooling

END OF PRESS RELEASE