President Hidaka
Question and
Answer Session
on the Current
Progress
Regarding
the Long-Term Vision
On December 15, 2021, President Hidaka gave an interview to journalists in Japan. The following are the questions and answers regarding the current progress of the long-term vision.
* President Hidaka’s remarks were as of the time of the interview on December 15, 2021.
Please tell us about the recent Carbon Neutral (CN) projects you have been working on and the results of these.
SCOPEs 1 and 2 are progressing as planned in terms of energy reduction, switching to electricity, and installing solar panels.
SCOPE 3, to be honest, has not yet achieved any tangible results.
On the product side, however, efforts are being made to promote electric vehicles, and PoC（Proof of Concept）for the increased use of electric vehicles is underway in Osaka and Tokyo. Of course, JAMA (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.) is also working on this. I think it is important for CN to increase the number of such vehicles, so in that sense, we have not yet achieved our goal. We will launch EVs from next spring onward, and we will analyze the sales and PoC results from next spring to ensure that people will choose EVs because of their convenience and price.
Also, in the outboard motors section,we started sales of HARMO in Europe.
This is gradually gaining attention for small ferries where consistent charging time can be secured.
While engine outboard motors are already mainstream, HARMO has not yet been able to secure the necessary volume.
We believe that we need to speed up our efforts toward the year 2050.
CN 2050: What are the biggest challenges in shifting to EVs?
There are a lot of things to consider, but if we focus on the issues at hand, it is cost competitiveness. We need to create EVs that are competitive with internal combustion engine vehicles. I think the biggest challenge will be the price. People may accept the hassle of recharging, but they will not accept a high price. It is important to keep the price of gasoline products and EV products the same.
What are you confident about regarding the EVs that you will introduce next spring? And what are you doing to address concerns about charging spots and cruising range? How competitive is the price? How competitive are the EVs?
Compared to gasoline-powered vehicles, electric vehicles have better starting acceleration and a more linear acceleration/deceleration feel that is more in tune with human sensibilities. The key to differentiating EVs from gasoline-powered vehicles is control, and since EVs are powered by a motor, it is easier to control them more precisely than engines. We are researching how riders feel when turning, running, and stopping on a motorcycle. How can we control the sense of fear, security, and comfort of riders? And how can we optimize these? It will be easier to express the sense of “Jinki Kanno” that our riders have been pursuing for many years.
Regarding the charging system, it is difficult for us to increase the number of stations by ourselves. What we are envisioning is a battery that can be recharged at home using an electrical outlet. Eventually, we would like to expand the number of exchangeable battery stations by cooperating with people from other industries. We would also like to share the use of batteries to enhance the convenience and competitiveness of our products, leading to widespread use. However, this will take some time.
Our basic premise is to provide products that comply with the regulations of each country. In terms of competitiveness, we have confidence in the level of perfection of our products, the range per charge, battery degradation, and battery safety supported by the technology we have developed over the years.
However, the only thing that gives me a headache is the price. The price is still higher than that of products from China and other countries. There are various types of batteries, but we use high-current batteries for safety reasons. High-current batteries are safer and more durable for motorcycles, but they are also more expensive.
There may be an option to compromise on this, but if we take recycling and reuse into consideration, we think that using good batteries is the right way to go.
Please tell us about the expected introduction period and regions for the 125 cm3 EV concept models.
We plan to introduce them in the spring of next year at the earliest. I can’t give you a specific date yet.
The 50 cm3 equivalent and 125 cm3 equivalent models will be introduced gradually from next spring, although not in all markets.
Europe will be the first market as there is a strong demand there. This is the time when we need to show our customers the ability of Yamaha EVs.
Of course, we also need to introduce them in Japan. As the electric vehicle market in China is expected to become the biggest market, we need to introduce our products in China as well. Then, the next market will be ASEAN, beginning with Indonesia and Thailand, where demand is high. We are planning to introduce them in that order.
For EV motorcycles, the market demand is strong in Europe. China is a close second. But what if we launch them in ASEAN now? There are many problems, such as where to charge the batteries. Infrastructure and other conditions differ from country to country. I think it is important to be able to provide products according to these stages and to promote research and development that can immediately respond to these demands.
We have also been working on improving the batteries and reducing the weight of our vehicles. However, we are wondering if now is the right time to launch EVs. I agree that it is important to always be ready to meet the demands of national policies and infrastructure.
What are your thoughts on hydrogen engines, what are the biggest challenges to utilizing them, and do you think it is necessary to have a timeline for determining when hydrogen engines can be used?
We think that we should aim for 2030. This should be right considering that we need to expand the lineup in the remaining 20 years and replace the lineup in 2050.
Other technologies are also advancing, so it will take time to assess them, so again I think it will be around 2030. I think that 2030 will be the turning point for speeding up the process.
Also, if hydrogen internal combustion engines are to be introduced to the market, technological development must be completed by 2030, and the engine must be ready for the market in time.
There are many things other than hydrogen, but hydrogen is the most difficult. It is easy to add additives to the hydrogen base. Hydrogen is also difficult to put to practical use, but if we develop this technology, the blending based on this will become easier, so I think that researching hydrogen as a base first will make it easier to deal with CN in the future.