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Initiatives for "Climate Change"

Yamaha Motor works on solution to issue of climate change through its business activities.

Reduction of CO2 Emissions from Products

For over 60 years since its founding, Yamaha Motor has used the lightweight, compact, durable and reliable concepts of its Monozukuri (engineering, manufacturing and marketing) as a strength to constantly offer new value and carve out new markets. At sea, on land, in the air. For leisure, for industry, for lifestyles. We provide a diverse range of distinctive products in over 180 countries and territories.

Map fig.

80% of the CO2 emissions from Yamaha Motor Group come from CO2 emissions associated with the use of our products (Scope 3. Category 11.) . To tackle the issue, we have set up the following four strategic policies to help achieve carbon neutrality when our products are used.

  • Improve the fuel efficiency of ICE systems
  • Upgrade and expand BEV products
  • Expand sales of BEV models
  • Develop power trains with carbon neutral fuel capabilities
SDGs 13

Improve the fuel efficiency of ICE systems

49% of the CO2 emitted when our company's product lines are used (Scope 3. Category 11) originates from the whole Asian region, with 85% of emissions coming from two-wheeled vehicles. In emerging nations, two-wheelers are a cheap and convenient means of transportation for delivery, two-wheeled taxis and commuting to work or school. They also serve an important role as part of the social infrastructure that supports the movement of persons, goods and services.
While closely following Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets for greenhouse gas reduction as well as energy policies and regulatory movements in various countries and territories, Yamaha Motor will further improve the fuel consumption of ICE systems as a cheap, convenient and highly mobile option and also popularize models equipped with the low-carbon BLUE CORE engine. In this way, we will encourage the economic growth of emerging nations from the standpoint of the SDGs while creating jobs and providing solutions to environmental issues.

By area CO2 emissions during product use
By area CO2 emissions during product use
BLUE CORE

BLUE CORE: A motorcycle engine design concept that balances riding performance, fuel economy and environmental performance at a high level

Sales weighting trends for BLUE CORE-equipped Yamaha Motor two-wheeled vehicle models
Sales weighting trends for BLUE CORE-equipped Yamaha Motor two-wheeled vehicle models

Expand the mobility service business in India

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has established a new company "Moto Business Service India Pvt. Ltd. (MBSI)" in India for the purpose of expanding the mobility service business. The Company has also begun leasing motorcycles to Royal Brothers, a local mobility service provider that offers motorcycle rentals and other services.

MBSI will run an asset management business by leasing motorcycles to Mobility as a Service (MaaS) operators providing services for vehicle sharing, taxis, logistics, and more. By creating job opportunities through our business, the company will contribute to improving the quality of life for people in India. In addition to Royal Brothers, MBSI will aim to expand Yamaha Motor’s mobility service business in India through collaborations with other MaaS operators going forward.

SDGs 01

Upgrade and expand BEV products

Since the 1980s, we have marked electric power as a potential solution to environmental and energy resource problems, and we have pursued technological research to that end. In 2002, we launched the Passol, the first mass-produced electric scooter. Since then, while keeping the ideal EVs for each region in mind, we have sought to expand the possibilities of mobility and create better lifestyles and societies through the electrification of a diverse range of products including not only two-wheeled vehicles but also electric golf cars, compact low-speed cars (land cars), electrically power assisted bicycles, electric wheelchairs and drones.

Area

Electrically Power Assisted Bicycles

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YDX-MORO 07

 

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BOOSTER

 

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PAS Kiss mini un SP

Electric Wheelchairs

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JWX-1 PLUS+

Electric Scooter

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NEO's

 

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E-VINO

 

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EX05

 

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EMF

Electric golf car

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AR04

Electric Propulsion Unit

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HARMO

Industrial Multi-rotor

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YMR-II

Field Tests for Expanding Sales of BEV Models Working to Create a Carbon-Neutral Age

Expanding the sales of BEV products will require social infrastructure such as charging stations. We will introduce the E01* to business offices, local governments and public agencies as a field test to help us understand customer needs, pursue possibilities in peripheral businesses and develop new markets in order to build EV infrastructure and the sharing business.
The E01 is equipped with a CCU (Communication Control Unit). The information communicated is integrated with information from the VCU (Vehicle Control Unit) and periodically uploaded to our web servers as vehicle information (location information, riding status). Information such as riding logs, battery level and last location parked can be accessed via a web app. From this data, we can estimate the future needs of motorcycle EV-using organizations and riders, which we will use as reference when developing products or advocating for infrastructure that meets social needs.

SDGs 09
SDGs 13
* E01: A PoC (Proof of Concept) model of an electric scooter less than or equal to 125cc that offers practicality along with the riding performance needed of a means of inter-city transportation.
E01
Performing Various Field Tests to Find the Transportation of the Future
Performing Various Field Tests to Find the Transportation of the Future
Solving social issues by promoting exciting compact mobility vehicles with low environmental impacts

Providing a Sharing Service for Common Specification Batteries for Electric Motorcycles

On April 1, 2022, five companies, namely ENEOS Holdings, Inc., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Kawasaki Motors, Ltd., Suzuki Motor Corporation and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., established Gachaco (Gachaco, Inc) to provide sharing services for common specification batteries for electric motorcycles and develop infrastructure for sharing services. Gachaco aims to build a battery charging network as infrastructure so that all who use electric mobility vehicles can ride safely and securely without worrying about running out of battery charges. The network will also help create a carbon-free, recycling-oriented society.

Gachaco(ガチャコ)

Research and development into powertrain technologies that help to realize carbon neutrality.

As part of our efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, Yamaha Motor is researching and developing powertrain technologies that are compatible with electric motors and with a variety of energy sources such as biofuels, efuels, and other carbon neutral fuels.

Development of electric motors
The electric motor (maximum output 50kW class) developed for compact mobility products featured a segment conductor in its coil, and increasing the space factor allowed the creation of a high-output, highly efficient and lightweight (the unit weight of the 50kW class is 13kg) unit. It also has excellent cooling performance thanks to the adoption of the casting technology and heat management technology cultivated through the development of internal combustion engines.

50kW class, 350kW class

The 350kW class units developed to be installed in high-output mobility products have a compact "mechatronic system integration" structure where the gears and inverter are one, and it can be used at a maximum voltage of 800V. If four of this unit are mounted on a single vehicle, a maximum output of 1.47MW (2,000 horsepower) is possible.

Hydrogen engine development
In pursuit of carbon neutrality, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Subaru Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, Mazda Motor Corporation and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. have begun to discuss the possibility of joint research into expanding the options for fuels used in internal combustion systems. Yamaha Motor is developing hydrogen engine technology that could potentially be installed in the company's products such as motorcycles and ROVs (four-wheeled buggies).

5.0 liter V8 hydrogen engine

αlive RX high-performance range extender unit
Designed with the anticipation that it would be used in compact, lightweight and powerful applications such as in drones, αlive RX is a compact unit that delivers high performance with an estimated 88kW in maximum output. Replacing some of the batteries in an electric mobility vehicle with this unit can substantially extend the vehicle’s cruising range and operating time. It is also compatible with next-generation fuels.

αlive H2E (hydrogen engine)
The αlive H2E is an internal combustion engine that employs existing engine technologies to burn hydrogen and use the energy produced, without emitting CO2.*1 Outside of use in mobility powertrains, hydrogen engines hold great potential for use with machines like generators, making such technology a potential pathway to more means of achieving carbon neutrality.

*1 Does not include the ultratrace amounts of engine oil burned during combustion.

Reduce CO2 Emissions from Business Locations

The Yamaha Motor Group has 140 business locations in 30 countries around the world. Among them are 27 manufacturing factories in 16 countries under the jurisdiction of the Manufacturing and Production Engineering Center. Many of them handle everything from casting and processing steel and aluminum to stamping, welding, forging, heat treating, resin molding, painting and assembly in-house.

To reduce CO2 emissions from our business locations, we analyzed the whole Group by process type, region and energy type used and drew up the following four strategic policies.

Graph
Graph

Four Strategic Policies

  • Theoretical value energy activities
  • Expand use of renewable energy at production sites
  • Update facilities, reform processes
  • Switch from fossil fuels to electricity
SDGs 13

Theoretical Value Energy Activities: Global Implementation

At Yamaha Motor, we are working to reduce CO2 emissions of the entire Group by cooperating with overseas Group companies and sharing energy-saving know-how accumulated within Japan. Specifically, we are implementing a "theoretical value energy" approach, in which we define the value and quasi-value of each facility and process at our production bases in Japan and abroad, identify the essential functions, and aim to minimize loss. To date, we have visited 30 locations in 13 countries, covering 98% of Groupwide CO2 emissions, in our effort to reduce energy loss.

SDGs 13

Theoretical Value Energy
In this approach, we pursue energy minimization by defining the energy theoretically required in facilities and processes as "value energy," and thoroughly eliminating quasi-value and non-value areas through improvements in both facilities and operations. We are implementing this approach at suppliers as well as Group companies in Japan and overseas.

Theoretical Value Energy Activities: Smart Factories Based on Theoretical-Value-Based Production

Yamaha Motor is rolling out a smart factory initiative that focuses on time taken by the conveyance tasks and simple tasks that are given a non-value because they do not contribute directly to production in theoretical-value-based production. We are developing a new system of next-generation conveyance connected to linear conveyor modules, compact automatic guided vehicles (AGV) and indoor and outdoor automatic conveyance solutions. These are concepts and technologies that only Yamaha, with its rich experience in robotics and mobility, can conceive of.

SDGs 08

Won the Prize of the Chairman of ECCJ from the Energy Conservation Center, Japan

In December 2022, Yamaha Motor won the Prize of the Chairman of ECCJ in the Energy Conservation Best Practices at workplaces category at the 2022 Energy Conservation Grand Prize Award. The Energy Conservation Grand Prize Award, organized by the Energy Conservation Center, Japan, is a system designed to award excellent energy conservation initiatives and advanced and effective energy conservation products in industries, businesses and transportation in Japan.
The initiative that won this prize was one at the company's Hamakita factory's motorcycle crankshaft machining line that carries out analyses based on the company's Theoretical Value Energy concept and stops every piece of equipment automatically when it is on standby.Thanks to this initiative, energy savings of 32% (equivalent to 82kL of crude oil) were realized compared to previously. In the future, the processes established through this initiative will be implemented on the machining lines in the company's other factories, leading to a further expansion in energy savings.

表彰写真

Expand Use of Renewable Energy: Setting Targets for the Ratio of Renewable Energy

We are installing power generation systems that use solar and wind power. Following the installation of a solar power generation system at the Main Factory in 2004, these systems have been successively installed elsewhere and the use of renewable energy is expanding. We have extended them to India, the U.S.A, Thailand, Taiwan and elsewhere globally.

SDGs 07

With the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 58% by 2024, along with promoting energy conservation globally and installing energy-saving equipment, we will introduce solar power generation in over 10 countries. To achieve our target, we allocated 2.65 billion yen in the 2023 budget, and intend to increase it to 3.54 billion yen in 2024 to expand the share for renewable energy from the current 3.7% to 9% of the budget in 2024 with the aim of raising that ratio to over 30% by 2035.

Ratio of energy use by entire Group
Graph
Factory in India Photo of solar panels
Factory in India Photo of solar panels

Expand Use of Renewable Energy at Production Sites: Introducing CO2-Free Electricity

In July 2022, we introduced CO2-free electricity generated from hydroelectric power at our major factories in Japan. Thanks to this, the ratio of renewable energy in our energy use is now 20.2%.

SDGs 07
Ratio of energy use by entire Group
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Going carbon-free with CO2-free power from Shizuoka prefecture

Update Facilities, Reform Processes: Installing Energy-Saving Equipment

In January 2022, the Main Factory installed new die-cast machines featuring new technologies like ultra high-speed injection and new vacuum technology. We are strengthening our casting technology production systems, one of Yamaha Motor's strengths, to handle increasing requirements for size, complexity and reduced weight in new or electrified products.

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Process reform
Graph [Example] Ultra high-speed die-cast

Switch from Fossil Fuels to Electricity: Moving Away from Fossil Energy

30.4% of the energy consumed in our production processes comes from fossil fuels, which are mainly used in casting, painting and air conditioning. As part of our drive to be carbon neutral by 2050, we will be changing energy sources from burners to electric heating, from steam to heat pumps and from GHP (gas type) to EHP (electric type).

Ratio of energy use by entire Group
Graph

Reduction of CO2 Emissions in Distribution

We are working to improve transportation efficiency with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions from distribution operations. We are also taking active steps to monitor CO2 emissions from distribution operations at overseas locations in a Groupwide effort to promote reduction activities.

Monitoring CO2 Emissions from Distribution Operations at Overseas Locations

Global CO2 emissions from distribution (t-CO2)
グラフ

In 2022, 445,725 tons of CO2 were emitted globally from distribution operations. While outdoor-related demand remained strong, distribution costs and CO2 emissions increased because of issues such as chronic part shortages and shipping delays caused by insufficient containers. However by taking measures to minimize risks throughout the supply chain, we resumed supplying products to customers, leading to a major increase in the number of units sold. Going forward we will continue to raise the level of the BCP for procurement, production and supply while promoting initiatives for reducing CO2 in distribution.

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