Yamaha XMAX SPHEV

Another hybrid from Japan suggests that the technology is expected to gain momentum in the two-wheeled realm

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AFTER KAWASAKI, IT IS NOW YAMAHA among the Japanese Big Four that are exploring hybrid technology for two-wheelers.

We have seen that hybrids are dominating the car world right now and every manufacturer has cars, whether luxury or economy, that use both an electric motor and a combustion engine. However, due to the cost and complexity involved, not to mention the greater weight of hybrid systems, this technology had been left almost unexplored for two-wheelers until now. Other than Kawasaki, who offer the Ninja 7 and Z7 hybrid bikes, no motorcycle manufacturer has hybrid motorcycles on sale. Well, that may be about to change, for Yamaha have previewed the XMAX SPHEV—it is a mid-size scooter and uses a series-parallel hybrid system that is capable of combining combustion engine power and electric motor drive in multiple ways.