Yamaha Wants More Electric Off-Roaders, So It Invested In a French EV Company

Yamaha has made it clear that it has some serious plans of going green in the very near future. Part of its plan is the introduction of a wide range of electric vehicles, both for on- and off-road use. That said, it’s clear that Team Blue is setting its sights on the off-road segment first, particularly when it comes to racing.

But instead of building all-new electric bikes from the ground up—something Yamaha’s undoubtedly capable of—the Japanese company has decided to speed things up by instead investing in French EV company Electric Motion.

If you don't recall, we’ve actually talked quite a bit about Electric Motion in the past, and in a nutshell, the French company specializes in electric off-roaders, particularly trials and enduro. The company has tested its electric bikes in the Trial World Championship, as well as the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup with great success, bagging wins and podiums in both racing series.

So yeah, clearly, Electric Motion knows what it’s doing, and Yamaha wants a slice of the pie, too. According to Yamaha, the investment was made to “raise the presence of both companies in the electric motorcycle market.” As such, we can expect Yamaha to make use of Electric Motion’s know-how to develop more electric motorcycles for racing purposes—perhaps a Yamaha-sponsored racing team in the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup.

But if we look at things from a bigger perspective, Yamah’s investment in Electric Motion is so much bigger than just racing. As we all know, a lot of the stuff we ride and drive were first born on the race track before being adapted for mass-market use. And chances are, the same will be true for Yamaha and Electric Motion.

It’s clear that there are quite a few benefits of electrification when it comes to off-roading—be it on two or four wheels. For starters, EVs’ silent operation draws less flack from Karens and Kevins who flinch at the slightest sound of internal combustion. And of course, there’s the whole zero-emissions thing. Oh, and the instant torque and linear power delivery of electric motors sure makes off-roading easier and more attractive to a broader spectrum of riders.

Personally, I’d love to see a range of electric dual-sports from Yamaha, particularly models targeted to new riders. An all-electric version of the XTZ dual-sport would surely be up my alley, as well as perhaps a more performance-focused WR electric dirtbike.