Yamaha Passol
The Yamaha Passol was an electric scooter manufactured by Yamaha Motor Company beginning in 2002,[1] and sold only in Japan.[2] Weight was 44 kilograms (97 lb) and claimed range 32 kilometres (20 mi).[1] It was described as the first mass-produced electric motorcycle in Japan[3][4] (the Peugeot Scoot'Elec was produced earlier). It had a lithium-ion battery. A Passol-L model with the same motor and bigger battery was released in 2005,[5][6] and a related electric, the EC-02, featuring a built-in iPod dock, also was released in 2005.[7]
 Passol-L at its 2005 Tokyo Motor Show introduction | |
| Manufacturer | Yamaha Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Production | 2002–2007 |
| Class | Electric scooter |
| Engine | Brushless DC electric wheel hub motor |
| Power | 0.58 kW (0.78 hp) |
| Frame type | Aluminum pipe backbone |
| Suspension | Telescopic fork |
| Brakes | Drum front and rear |
| Tires | 60/100-12 |
| Wheelbase | 1,040 mm |
| Dimensions | L: 1,530 mm W: 600 mm H: 995 mm |
| Seat height | 745 mm |
| Weight | 44 kg (97 lb) (dry) |
| Fuel capacity | 14 Ah battery (Passol) |
| Turning radius | 1.6 m |
| Related | Yamaha EC-02 |
A recall for battery problems in the Passol and EC-02 was issued in late 2006,[8] followed by the halting of production of all Yamaha electric motorcycles in 2007 due to the recall coupled with weak sales.[3][9]
Records and awards
In 2003, the Passol won the Good Design Gold Award (MITI Prize) from Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry.[10]
In 2004, Japanese long-distance motorcyclist Kanichi Fujiwara set off to circumnavigate the world on a Passol.[11] It may have been the first global circumnavigation by electric two-wheeler.[12]
In 2004, Yamaha won the Hong Kong Design Centre's Design for Asia Award for Product Design for the Passol.[4]
In exhibitions
A Passol was exhibited in an international show on Japanese design at Metropolitan State College of Denver's Center for Visual Art in 2005.[13]
Specifications
Specifications in infobox from Ono & Undated:6.
Notes and references
Notes
References
- Yamaha unveils its first no-emission electric scooter, Agence France-Presse (AFP), October 9, 2002 – via Space Daily
- 2003 Good Design Gold Award: Electric Commuter Yamaha Passol EA06/5UY2, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, 2003
- DFA Award 2004: PASSOL electric scooter (PDF), Hong Kong Design Centre
- Hedge, Trevor (November 29, 2004), Battery powered world adventurers visit Perth, mcnews.com.au, archived from the original on August 31, 2011, retrieved 2013-11-14
- MacMillan, Kyle (Jul 4, 2005), "A Japanese design exhibition at Metro State is a little bit art, a little bit pop culture and a lot of kitschy fun", Denver Post, p. F.01
- Hanlon, Mike (October 27, 2005), Yamaha's radical adjustable electric motorcycle, Gizmag
- Photos: These bikes hum and fold: Yamaha Passol-L, CNET News, November 9, 2005
- "EC-02、Passol-Lに関するリコール情報", Recall bulletin (in Japanese), Yamaha Motor Company, 2006-10-05
- Moodie, Alison (June 25, 2007), "Green Wheels", Newsweek, via HighBeam (subscription required), archived from the original on September 24, 2015
- Yamaha EC-02, A Glowing-In-The-Dark IPod Scooter, Topspeed.com, August 22, 2007
- Yamaha unveils zero-emission electric motor scooter, AFP, July 14, 2010 – via Google News
- Kume, Hideyoshi (July 15, 2010), "Yamaha Motor to Reenter Electric Two-wheeled Vehicle Market", Tech-On!, Nikkei Business Publications
- Ono, Tomohiro (n.d.), "Specifications", Yamaha electric scooter 'Passol' (Yamaha technical paper)
- Tesch, Bernd (September 11, 2013), Around-The-World by motorcycle, 2001–2004, retrieved 2013-11-14
External links
- Passol-L electronic brochure from Yamaha Museum's 2003 Tokyo Motor Show display