Yamaha checks out feasibility of eBikes in Indian market

CHENNAI: Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer Yamaha is conducting a feasibility study for an electric two-wheeler to be launched in the Indian market, Yamaha Motor India chairman Motofumi Shitara told ET in an interview.

Yamaha is studying parameters such as cost of ownership, infrastructure availability, policy roadmap, financing and other factors that might contribute to the electric vehicle ecosystem in the country.

“We have been doing the feasibility study for a while now. The decision to enter the market has not been taken till now,” Shitara said. Yamaha Motor had held a similar study with Gogoro, headquartered in Taiwan, before it launched the EC-05 electric scooter there in August this year. Under the Yamaha brand, the escooter will be produced by Gogoro for the Taiwanese market and is targeted to sell 20,000 in one year.

Yamaha had launched into electric vehicles in its home market Japan as early as 2002 with the Passol. The EC-05 was the fifth electric vehicle from Yamaha. As part of its long-term plan, Yamaha is committed to halving its carbon emissions from its products by 2050, and the push towards electric vehicles is part of the drive.