Yamaha, maker of the world's first e-bike, is experimenting with just how far it can push the concept off-road. To that end, the company has unveiled two new concept bikes, including one with two-wheel drive and power steering for really carving up trails.
The Y-00Z MTB and Y-01W AWD concepts are designed to give visitors to this year's Japan Mobility Show a peek into the future of battery-enhanced mountain biking.
The Y-01W AWD, as the name suggests, is equipped with all-wheel drive for speed, power and control. Yamaha has experimented with two-wheel drive before, with its 2-Trac system using a hydraulic pump to power the front wheel of a motorcycle, but the new e-bike takes a different tack. It employs a pair of motors for the task: a mid-drive for the rear wheel, and a hub motor for the front, each with its own power pack. The two motors and batteries are coordinated to work in sync and give extra mileage.
Yamaha says the front-suspension concept bike would have a maximum pedal-assisted top speed of 28mph, which would qualify it as a speed pedelec in the EU.
The Y-00Z MTB looks a little more like an ordinary full-suspension e-MTB, but look closely and you'll see that Yamaha has moved the mid-drive motor away from the pedal cranks. Frankly, it looks a bit weird, but the strangest part is the inclusion of a power steering unit in the headset, which Yamaha claims will deliver excellent handling and stability off-road.
We're not yet sure exactly how this will work, but it certainly sounds like a lot of fun, and we look forward to seeing some of these new technologies incorporated into production e-bikes in the future.
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