Japanese Motorcycle Makers Racing to Go Carbon-Neutral
Japanese motorcycle manufacturers are rushing to develop new power sources aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
While executives believe that motorcycles eventually will go electric, the technology faces many hurdles.
"There's no doubt in my mind that electrification would become mainstream in the industry's final goal for achieving carbon neutrality," Yamaha Motor Co. President Motofumi Shitara said.
Yamaha aims to have electric motorcycles account for about 30 per cent of new motorcycles that it will put on sale by 2027. Last year, it announced the launch of four models of electric scooters.
Honda Motor Co. in autumn last year said that it will aim to increase the proportion of electric motorcycles in its overall motorcycle sales from the current 0.6 per cent to 7 per cent by fiscal 2030. In 2028, it plans to launch operations at an electric motorcycle-only plant in India.
There are, however, many challenges with electric motorcycles.
Like their four-wheeled counterparts, electric motorcycles tend to come with a steep price tag. In addition, there is a lack of charging facilities.
Given how compact motorcycles are in general, electric motorcycles have no space to accommodate large battery packs, greatly hampering efforts to improve their mileage per charge.
Electric motorcycles "will spread if solutions to the issues of prices, mileage, charging infrastructure and government subsidies are provided all together in one big bundle," Yamaha's Shitara said.
Motorcycle makers have also turned their attention to alternative fuels.
Suzuki Motor Corp. is currently developing a two-wheeler fueled by biogas made from cow dung. The company rolled out a prototype at last year's Japan Mobility Show.
Yamaha is now developing a hydrogen-powered scooter together with Toyota Motor Corp. It sells motorcycles running on bioethanol in Brazil and plans to introduce them in India in the future.
"We're currently stocking up on our technologies so that we can sell a wide variety of products suited to different situations," a senior Yamaha official said.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
