Yamaha launches special edition electric bike to celebrate 30 years of building e-bikes
Yamaha has just announced a new limited edition electric bicycle known as the 30th Anniversary Special Edition YDX-MORO 07.
The launch celebrates Yamaha’s 30 years of e-bike building, which made the company the first to bring a production e-bike to market. Technically there are electric bicycle patents going back around a century, but most were experimental prototypes, and none reached mass production. Similarly to the lengthy hiatus that electric cars suffered before rediscovering a broader audience, electric bikes largely disappeared for most of the 20th century until Yamaha brought its first e-bike model to market in 1993.
The rest, as they say, is history. And 30 years of history is as good a reason as any to celebrate, especially if it means a special edition of Yamaha’s most innovative electric mountain bike model to date.
The YDX-MORO e-MTB was first launched in the summer of 2020 and then refreshed in 2022 with several updates, including an advanced new motor.
The full-suspension e-bike uses a novel frame design known as a Dual Twin that divides both the down tube and top tube into two separate frame members. The patented design features air gaps between the tubes that provide space for the battery and rear suspension, creating a compact, lightweight frame that doesn’t skimp on performance.
It’s the kind of innovation you’d expect to see from a company with 30 years of e-bike design under its belt. According to National Sales and Marketing Manager Drew Engelmann, we should expect to see more of this type of advanced design and innovative tech from Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles:
Yamaha has been a pioneer in e-bikes for more than three decades, and this is an exciting time to be pushing the industry forward in the US. In 2023, we affirm our dedication to continue further advancing our technologies and offerings to bring riders in the U.S. e-bikes that make every day more fun and fulfilling.
The 30th Anniversary Special Edition YDX-MORO 07 features impressive range efficiency, higher torque, and Yamaha’s most advanced drive technology yet in the PW-X3 motor. That drive unit includes the Interface X control unit, Yamaha’s quad sensor system and what the company describes as “the smoothest delivery of assist felt on a power assist bicycle in a lighter and more powerful complete package.”
The new Special Edition model will also include a unique polished aluminum finish coat, Yamaha racing blue rocker link and headtube, a 30th Anniversary 3D badge on the top tube and a commemorative decal on the rear of the seat tube.
Yamaha has long produced its own electric bicycle motors, and the PW-X3 is the most advanced e-bike drive system in its lineup. The motor offers a major performance boost in a package that is both smaller and more powerful than previous Yamaha motors.
Don’t let its regulatory rating of 250W fool you – the mid-drive motor has a maximum torque of 85 Nm and comes with a 500W peak power rating in its highest power operation mode.
Those ride modes include Eco, Standard, High, MTB, Extra-Power, and Automatic-Mode, as well as a Walk-Assist mode. Yamaha’s Automatic Mode lets the bike intelligently select the power mode based on the rider’s climbing, descending or braking behavior, thus allowing the rider to focus entirely on the trail.
Yamaha’s Automatic Support Mode uses a quad-sensor system, which is more refined than a cadence or torque sensor. It allows the bike to select the right amount of assistance based on riding conditions, whether accelerating, braking, or climbing, and lets riders leave ride mode changes to the system so they can focus on the trail.
The 30th Anniversary Special Edition YDX-MORO 07 is priced at $6,499, which puts this commemorative piece of e-bike history at just a $100 premium over the existing YDX-MORO 07.
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Three months after Uber, Lucid Motors, and Nuro announced a partnership that would enable Gravity SUV robotaxis, the rideshare network has shared where the public will first be able to hail one. Spoiler alert, it’s easy to guess if you give it half a thought.
As we reported in July, Uber Technologies committed to a $300 million investment in Lucid Group (parent company of American EV automaker Lucid Motors), to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid vehicles as robotaxis over the next six years.
Those Lucid vehicles, which will consist of the automaker’s flagship Gravity SUV to begin, will hit public roads equipped with a Level 4 autonomous system called Nuro Driver. Nuro, the third partner in this equation, is a robotics company specializing in zero-occupant delivery vehicles, which garnered an existing partnership with Uber Eats as well as a “hefty” (yet undisclosed) investment from Uber Technologies.
Last month, Lucid delivered its first Gravity SUV to Nuro to begin the retrofitting process of the Nuro Driver system to support Uber’s hopes for a luxe robotaxi fleet. While the partners continue to work toward building an exciting new fleet of Lucid Gravity Robotaxis, Uber has shared the location where they will first go into service… Casper, Wyoming.
Just kidding!
It’s the San Francisco Bay Area, of course.
Uber to deploy Lucid Gravity EVs in Bay Area in 2026
Today’s update from Uber expands upon the ongoing partnership with Lucid Group and Nuro. According to the companies, the San Francisco Bay Area will be the first market where riders will see this next-generation autonomous robotaxi program in operation. That milestone is expected sometime in 2026.
Uber has shared that it has been updating policymakers and regulators at every level on the progress of its exclusive Lucid Robotaxis and continues to meet the operational requirements. Notably, Uber has shared that on-road development with the Lucid Gravity robotaxi engineering fleet is already underway in the Bay Area.
Furthermore, Nuro and Lucid intend to be operating over 100 Gravity robotaxis as part of the test fleet “in the coming months.” Lucid interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, spoke about today’s announcement:
Lucid has always celebrated its California roots, and we’re thrilled to make the San Francisco Bay Area the first market for our new robotaxi on the Uber platform, powered by the Nuro Driver. Beginning next year, riders will experience a level of convenience, safety, and comfort unlike anything else on the road. We can’t wait to bring this service to life and expand it to communities across the country.
To build this fleet of Uber-exclusive robotaxis, the required hardware will be integrated into Lucid Gravity SUVS while they are still on Lucid’s assembly line in Arizona. Those builds will then be integrated with Nuro’s proprietary software when Uber officially commissions them.
All eyes on 2026 as we now know that residents around the Bay Area will be able to hail a driverless Lucid Gravity through the Uber platform. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this fleet in action.
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With its new EA line of variable speed industrial air compressors and superior energy efficiency from their advanced electric motors, industrial equipment Bobcat is setting a new standard for job site performance.
Designed for top-tier flow rates and maximum energy efficiency, Bobcat says its new EA lineup of variable speed compressors – the EA30VS, EA50VS, EA75VS, and EA100VS – is built to meet the demanding needs of modern industrial operations. But, crucially, the new EA line is about more than efficient motors, quiet running, and precise speed variation. It’s about tech.
To that end, the EA Series is equipped with a full range of “smart” operational features controlled through a 7″, full color LED controller display for intuitive operation. This system allows connection to, and intelligent optimization of, up to three additional compressors, ensuring the entire compressed air system operates at peak performance based on demand so perators can easily customize performance with programmable scheduling by date, time and pressure bands – delivering precision control with minimal effort.
And, of course, the whole system is backed by Bobcat’s global warranties, international parts and dealer networks, and commitment to durability and service.
“The new EA Series represents a leap forward in industrial air compression technology for Bobcat,” said Cody Blythe, Bobcat product manager. “These machines offer exceptional flow rates paired with peak energy efficiency, providing our customers with a powerful solution that lowers their total cost of ownership through reduced electricity usage.”
Bobcat says its new EA line of variable speed compressors are available now at select Bobcat distributors, contact your local dealer for pricing.
Electrek’s Take
Bobcat is leading the charge to decarbonize job sites, delivering quiet, smooth-running machines for operators who value safety, performance, precision, and sustainability. The company is also among the few manufacturers replacing hydraulic systems with fully electric ones, further reducing oil use and eliminating idle warm‑up time.
You love to see it.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Bobcat.
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LiveWire, the electric motorcycle brand spun out of Harley-Davidson, has just given us a closer look than ever at its upcoming lower-cost, smaller-format electric motorcycles ahead of their larger unveiling at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA) next week.
While we got our first glimpse of the new machines earlier this summer, spotting a street and trail version of the smaller electric motorbikes, now we have a name for the models and a few more details.
Officially called the S4 Honcho, the new model will be a 125-cc equivalent that will be available in both a street-legal version capable of being operated by riders who possess a moped/light motorcycle license in Europe or a motorcycle license in the US, and a license-free off-road version.
“The S4 Honcho Street will qualify for A1 licenses in Europe and the UK and M-endorsement in the U.S., offering lightweight, urban-friendly electric mobility with intuitive performance and removable batteries,” explained the company.
The bikes appear to be powered by a centrally-mounted, chain-driving electric motor and a pair of removable batteries accessed by flipping up the seat.
LiveWire has remained fairly tight-lipped regarding the major tech specs for the bikes, as well as the price, but we do get a look at the dual removable batteries thanks to a new image posted to the company’s website.
There, we can see what appears suspiciously similar to a pair of KYMCO Ionex batteries, which would make sense given LiveWire’s close partnership with the Taiwanese scooter giant.
A couple years ago at EICMA I had the chance to check out KYMCO’s new Ionex batteries and e-scooter platform firsthand, which you can see in the video below.
While excitement has been building for LiveWire’s smaller electric motorcycles, the full unveiling of the bikes’ performance figures as well as the price tag will prove critical for gauging whether or not the mini-bikes could be a major turning point for LiveWire’s elusive profitability.
But the company isn’t betting it all on one horse, or one Honcho. Also in attendance at the show will be LiveWire’s full-scale concept of an electric maxiscooter built on the same S2 architecture that powers the company’s currently best-selling models, the S2 Del Mar, S2 Mulholland, and S2 Alpinista.
That scooter, built in partnership with KYMCO, will leverage the company’s fully developed S2 platform to create a more comfortable, high-performance urban and suburban-oriented model.
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