There is no question that the race toward electrification is most prominent in the car-making business. But as electric cars advance, a host of other mobility solutions that use electricity as a means of power are catching up fast.
One of the most dynamic such groups of mobility solutions is that of electric bikes. Fueled by a seemingly unending flood of startups that go down this road, the segment is now rapidly growing not in small part thanks to the involvement of established names in the industry.
Just remember that even the Italians from Ducati have an e-bike in their portfolio now. Sure, for them that's sort of a "we can do that too" statement, and not necessarily a future development direction. For Yamaha, however, things are a bit different.
The Japanese company laid out at the beginning of last year a strategy called Switch ON. It's a fully-fledged plan, backed by the entire weight of the company, to take over a significant portion of the electric personal mobility market.
Since it was announced the plan already yielded results. Last year we got the production version of the 50cc-equivalent electric scooter called NEO, but also a 125cc equivalent one. Separately, in September last year the Japanese pulled the wraps off the first three models in its e-bike lineup, the Moro 07, Wabash and Crosscore.
But September 2022 was nine months ago, and to keep people talking Yamaha needed something new. Enter the Boosters, two new electric bikes "developed in Europe to meet the rapidly increasing demand for clean, quiet and accessible urban transport."
The first bike in the range is called Booster Easy. It's a two-wheeler built around a lightweight chassis with diecast aluminum front frame and riding on fat 20-inch tires. Power to get the wheels moving is supplied by a Yamaha PW-S2 drive unit that's rated at 75 Nm of torque. A 630 Wh detachable battery is on deck to handle the energy storing needs. When pedal-assisted, it is capable of reaching a top speed of 25 kph (15.5 mph).
It's sibling is simply called Booster, and it's an S-pedelec machine. Yamaha says it's virtually identical to the Easy, down to the chassis, but there's a key difference when it comes to capabilities: this one is actually an electric moped that can reach 45 kph (28 mph).
As for range, assuming a 75 kg (165 pounds) rider mounts any of these, they can keep going for as much as 120 km (75 miles) when the bikes are set to Eco mode. The High mode, which increases the torque ratio from 50 percent to 280 percent, cuts that distance in half.
We're told both of them have been designed in such a way as to be the spiritual successors of the 50cc and MBK scooters that were all the rage in the 1980s and 1990s Europe. But visually they are miles apart.
First up, we get Yamaha-exclusive fork covers and plate up front, adorned higher up by a Supernova headlight. No cables can be seen on either Boosters, as they've been hidden behind ducts. The chain and motor too are hidden from sight by covers.
A 2.8-inch full-color dot matrix TFT display is installed centrally on the handlebar of the Booster, providing the rider with details on "battery capacity, riding speed, assist mode, range, clock, trip distances, cadence, calorie consumption and time." Smartphone connectivity is supported via Bluetooth. The same happens with the Easy, the difference being this one uses a 1.7-inch LCD.
Yamaha says the two new Booster bikes will become fully available in June, but some Easy models are already being delivered. Both bikes are offered in two color choices, Cyan Solid Aqua and Dark Gray Metallic. Pricing for the Boosters was not announced.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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