Yamaha Electric Motorcycles — Patents Filed For Unique Charging Port Placement Designs

Patent sketches have revealed Yamaha's intents with regard to the kind of technology and designs the Japanese company wants to use in the production of electric vehicles. Yamaha seems pretty serious about the development and production of electric motorcycles.

The company has filed a few patent sketches that reveal the kind of designs Yamaha is planning to use. The patent sketches reveal three different types of charging system designs that allow Yamaha to conceptualise an electric motorcycle any way needed.

Electric vehicles are growing by the number with every passing day. New manufacturers are coming onto the scene, and of late, the designs and development done by mainstream manufacturers are coming out into the open.

It is obvious that mainstream manufacturers have done a lot R&D in the electric motorcycle segment, but it is now that the outside world is having a look at them. Every single company that manufactures automobiles and auto components have by now shifted their focus onto electric mobility as that is exactly where the world is headed to.

Recently, Kawasaki filed a patent application for a battery-swapping system, and now Yamaha's electric motorcycle patents are in the news. Well, the patents filed by Yamaha are not exactly related to hardcore electric powertrain systems, but are related to a more practical and simple piece of the system — charging ports.

With every advance in terms of technology, comes a more complicated EV powertrain. However, the charging socket uses a simple logic and construction that remains more-or-less the same across almost all electric vehicles.

What differs with every vehicle though is the location of the charging port. As of now, the only mass-produced premium electric motorcycle is the Harley-Davidson LiveWire. Harley-Davidson has placed the charging port on top of the fuel tank, exactly where the fuel-filler would be on a petrol-powered motorcycle.

According to some, this placement would make the shift - from a petrol-powered motorcycle to one powered by electricity - smoother. However, one has to consider the fact that it is easier with petrol because it takes barely two minutes to fill up the tank.

Electricity though will take a lot more than that and no rider would be seated on the motorcycle for such a long time waiting for it to get juiced up. Hence, other positions for the charging port can be considered. These patent sketches reveal that Yamaha has been putting significant thought into this little detail.

Yamaha has patented three sketches of different motorcycles and different positions to place the charging port.

The first design reveals a motorcycle design that is half-naked. The position of the seat and handlebars though show that will give the rider a supersport position. However, it lacks any of the fairings and the extra glamour that a supersport motorcycle comes with. The position of the charging port though is on top of the fuel tank, like all other motorcycles.

The second sketch reveals a naked, streetfighter design. It is evident that this is a motorcycle that sits in line with those like the FZ-1. The charging port on such a motorcycle has been placed under the pillion rider's seat. This is because the motorcycle will anyway be unoccupied at the time of charging. It shows a design in which the pillion seat opens from the rear and tilts forward.

The third and final design is for a supersport motorcycle. It is quite clearly the design of the previous generation Yamaha YZF-R1. However, this one gets a unique position for the charging port — right above the headlamp cluster.

This is the exact position that a Yamaha logo would usually be placed at. If this design goes through, Yamaha will look to conceal the charging port with an openable tuning-fork logo.

Thoughts On Yamaha Patents Three Charging Port Placement Designs For Upcoming Electric Bikes

With Yamaha putting in so much effort into patenting the little details, we are sure that the Japanese brand is nearing the end of its electric motorcycle development. However, Yamaha will not bring it out until there is enough demand for an electric motorcycle. Till then though, environmentalists will have to wait, and petrolheads can make the most of this period.

Source: Cycleworld