Yamaha Motor Europe, Dohms Projecten and ELEO Make Progress with Testing of the Electric MX

The Yamaha Europe supported project, together with EMX Powertrain and ELEO, will compete with current 250cc 4 stroke bikes.

In a press release earlier this month, EMX powertrain announce that with battery manufacturer ELEO (previously known as SPIKE) and the Dohms Projecten, supported by Yamaha Europe N.V. and the Royal Dutch Motorcycle Association (KNMV), they have proceeded with testing for a competitor to the current 4 stroke 250cc motorcycles. The continued project started just about a year ago and is taking shape as it comes to its final stages.

The tests results were reported to pass with “flying colors”, as the developing team continues to test on the Yamaha YZ250F chassis.

Our expectations in terms of power output have been far exceeded. This motorcycle has an impressive level of torque. From stationary, it is faster than an MX machine with a petrol engine.

Elmar Dohms (inventor) and Laurens Kusters (engineer) (EMX website)

In March of last year, the pair started their development of the EMX machine basically from scratch, starting at the drawing table. The entire technology was drawn and built at fast pace with no references.

The above mention of performance (of the electric) being well above ICE motorcycles is not a new fact for electric bikes, but still proves the concept needed for the team to proceed with their prototype for an electric Yamaha YZ. The looks of it is all tradition, just as you would expect an MX motorcycle, from Seat position to weight and balance, but all electric.

The battery partner, ELEO technology, which recently rebranded the name from previous SPIKE, has interesting technology offering. Their standard battery offered on their website show capacities estimated ~260Wh/kg. With packs of 4.9kWh and 3.02kWh weighing in 27.7kg and 16.9kg respectively. Since the motorcycle clearly doesn’t use a standard battery pack, we will still need to wait and get the official specification for this bike’s battery, and what ride time and range it can provide.

You have the feeling of always being in the right gear. The power is always there, from stationary to top speed, The kick from riding is still just as great, but there is one less thing you need to do. You no longer need to shift gears to be able to use the power from the engine. That means that you can focus more on finding the right lines. The massive low speed torque means that riding short lines is easier, and yet more challenging at the same time.

Laurens Kusters (engineer) (EMX)

One of the biggest advantages of the EMX machine is that the power is computer-controlled. This makes it easy to tune the power down to the level of an 85cc or 125cc machine, It turns the EMX into a dirt bike on large wheels that’s suitable for a wide group of riders. Youngsters who have never been on a bike before can start to ride safely, with less power and reduced speed. Then later, the power delivery can be raised up to the level used by professional riders.

Elmar Dohms (inventor) (EMX)

Battery Technology by ELEO
ELEO has developed a special fitted battery pack for the EMX frame of a Yamaha YZ250F. But the technology of their electric powertrain is meant for more universal use. Dohms explains that having an electric powertrain capable of withstanding motocross riding, which is a tough riding sport, proves the powertrains’ capacity for other and similar tough sports.

‘We’ve had to adjust our plans a little because of the coronavirus crisis, we haven’t been able yet to take part in international circuit tests operated by the KNMV for example,’ explains Kusters, truthfully. ‘We’ve still been able to do a lot of development on the motorcycle. We’ll be carrying out the first tests on a sand track very soon.’

As Yamaha previously stated in press releases, Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. is quite enthusiastic about the initiative, and we hope to see many more of this enthusiasm towards electric power bikes from the folks at Yamaha.

We are happy to support this project as we feel it is important to boost developments in electric technology. We are very much looking forward to test and evaluate the prototype to understand how the technology from Dohms and SPIKE performs in our YZF chassis

Leon Oosterhof from Yamaha Motor Europe’s Product Planning Division. (EMX)

Source: EMX Powertrain, ELEO