YAMAHA Motor Co., Ltd. released a video titled "New Challenges in Electric Technology (1)" on its official website. The video introduces a scooter equipped with the new "SPHEV System," a new technology that achieves the ultimate stepless shifting feeling with a motor + engine hybrid. At the end of the video, the next hybrid machine was also shown!
Middle Scooter, the First in the "Series Parallel Hybrid" Series
YAMAHA has announced a middle scooter that uses the new "SPHEV System" (Series Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle) technology. In addition to the usual single-cylinder gasoline engine, the SPHEV is equipped with a hybrid power unit that has a drive motor at the rear wheel hub and a motor at the crankshaft for power generation. The concept is to use the motor for quiet driving in urban and residential areas, and the engine for powerful driving on major roads and highways.
A middle scooter equipped with the SPHEV system. Its futuristic design, not unlike a scooter, is eye-catching.
The SPHEV system is a hybrid system of an engine and two motors.
The concept is to be able to enjoy both the motor and the engine together, from city areas to main roads.
The functionality alone is similar to that of conventional hybrid systems, but the unique feature of this concept is that the motor and engine simultaneously transmit power to the rear wheels as needed to provide powerful acceleration. When a higher level of acceleration is required, the motor for power generation also joins in to provide a "triple-boost" effect, which is quite surprising. Despite such a complex mechanism, the vehicle's size is kept to that of a conventional middle scooter, and development is proceeding with the goal of "not spoiling the fun of motorcycling."
The engine looks like a scooter, but the wheel hubs and engine are each equipped with a motor.
In the mechanical image, the drive motor is attached to the wheel hub and the motor for power generation is attached to the crankshaft. The engine is a single cylinder.
The vehicle is said to start out operating with battery power only for quietness, switching to engine drive when speeds increase.
The focus is on the “Triple Boost” system, in which the drive/generator motor and engine all generate driving power. Its acceleration power is a matter of concern.
According to interviews with test riders, the connection from motor drive to engine drive is very seamless, and the rider can feel the swell of torque, which is the "ultimate continuously variable transmission" feeling.
The body of the vehicle under development is also designed with a lot of originality. Although it is called a scooter, the front mask is minimalist, much like the current "MT" series, and it is equipped with a large screen and LCD meters that appear to be TFT. The vehicle is equipped with a mid-control position footpeg, and there seems to be no floorboard on which to place the feet together. The seat is also long and resembles that of a sport motorcycle, but the vehicle size mentioned in the development concept is said to be about that of the "XMAX".
Some test scenes in a soundproof room. It looks like a quietness test of the motor.
In driving situations, the company claims that seamless motor/engine switching will realize the “ultimate continuously variable transmission."
While there are no actual plans for commercialization of this new technology, its future development is a topic of great interest.
"What's Coming Next?" Is the Engine that Emerges the True Identity of the MT-09?
There has been no announcement yet regarding the public release of the "SPHEV System" scooter or its commercialization, and we are eagerly awaiting further news. What is more interesting is the text "What's Coming Next" that appears at the end of the video and the engine in the background. Although no detailed information is given, the frame, clutch cover, and other features seem to indicate that it is almost certainly the MT-09, a large naked model.
Furthermore, an illustration on YAMAHA's official website showing the company's commitment to electric technology suggests the existence of a "fun-ride" model that is typical of the MT series; a new MT-09 model equipped with the Y-AMT automatic clutch system, another cutting-edge technology, was just introduced last year. Or perhaps, one of these days, we will see the MT-09 Y-AMT hybrid, a super-accelerating, automatic-shifting naked model that combines an in-line 3-cylinder engine and two motors! Expectations for the MT-09 Y-AMT hybrid are only rising.
The engine appears at the end of the video. This is very similar to the CP-3 engine of the MT-09.
A "Y-AMT" version of the MT-09 was just released last year, but could a hybrid version be in the works? We look forward to further news on this topic.
YAMAHA Motor Official Channel: New Challenges in Electric Technology (1)
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See YAMAHA MT-09 (FZ-09) Parts & Accessories Page
See YAMAHA MT-09 Y-AMT Parts & Accessories Page
