Overview
Half a century ago, developers at Japanese giant YAMAHA realised that cyclists might need extra support in situations such as uphill climbs and headwinds. Their early experiments included a bike with a 25cc petrol engine in 1973 and a mountain bike with a 35cc engine in 1982, but YAMAHA strived to find a solution that was suitable for people who had no motorbike experience. As a result, the "Power Assist System" (PAS), a prototype for electrically assisted bicycles, was introduced in 1989. However, another five years passed before the YAMAHA PAS was launched in April 1994 as the "first product of its kind in the world".
Since then, YAMAHA has continuously improved its Engines, and the PW series began its triumphal march in 2013. YAMAHA has sold two million e-bikes in Japan alone and its Engines are inserted in over four million e-bikes worldwide. Brands such as Haibike, Gitane, Bixs, Atala and Lapierre, among others, rely on YAMAHA engines from the factory.
The Engines
The next generation of mid-drive motors was launched at YAMAHA in 2014 with the PW series and has been continuously developed ever since. Here is a compact overview of the engines from YAMAHA:
PW series250 W / 70 Nm / up to 25 km/h
PW-X series250 W / 80 Nm / up to 25 km/h
PW-X2 series250 or 500 W / 80 Nm / up to 25 or 45 km/h
PW-TE series250 W / 60 Nm / up to 25 km/h
PW-SE series: 250 W / 70 Nm / up to 25 km/h
PW-ST series: 250 W / 70 Nm / up to 25 km/h
PW-CE series: 250 W / 50 Nm / up to 25 km/h
SyncDrive Core or GIANT 2015/2016: 250 W / 50 Nm / up to 25 km/h
SyncDrive Life: 250 W / 60 Nm / up to 25 km/h
SyncDrive Sport: 250 W / 80 Nm / up to 25 km/h
SyncDrive Pro: 250 W / 80 Nm / up to 25 km/h