Yamaha Electric Commuter "Passol" Becomes First Motorcycle to Win "Director General Prize of the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy"

The Yamaha Electric Commuter “Passol” (motorized two-wheeled vehicle 1st class license designation) has been chosen as the recipient for the “Director General Prize of the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy” of the 13th Energy Conservation Grand Prize (2002) awards for outsponsored by the Energy Conservation Center, Japan. This is the first time that this prize has been awarded to a motorcycle in the history of these annual awards that began in 1991.

Organized by the foundation Energy Conservation Center, Japan with the aim of contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases like CO2, these Energy Conservation Awards hold a position of high prestige among the numerous energy conservation awards in Japan. The recipients are chosen from large numbers of candidates, both publicly solicited and sought out by the organization itself, with the purpose of supporting the development and spread of outstanding energy-conserving or resource-conserving products, recycling programs, facilities and energy-use systems that contribute to the public welfare.

The “Passol” is an electric-powered commuter vehicle that employs a lithium-ion battery boasting one of the world’s highest performance levels and super-thin design electric power unit, all mounted on a lightweight aluminum frame. The lightweight, high-output lithium-ion battery can be detached from the vehicle and charged from a household electric outlet at the very economical cost of about 12 yen per charge. And, since the Passol runs purely on clean electric energy, it gives off no exhaust gases whatsoever, while providing a quiet but enjoyably spirited ride. Designed to meet the needs of short-distance commuting and riding, the Passol will run about 32 kilometers (at 30 km/h on rated course) on one charging of the battery.
Thanks to its highly environment-friendly systems, the Passol achieves Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ratings of an approximately 60% reduction in CO2 emissions, approx. 90% reduction in NOx and approx. 80% reduction in SOx (compared to a Yamaha 50cc gasoline-powered scooter).

The Passol will be displayed at “ENEX 2003” the 27th ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT EXHIBITION to be held at the Tokyo Big Sight from February 6 to 8 and at the INTEX Osaka from February 13 to 15.