Yamaha Motor has revealed the YE-01 Racing Concept, an EV-based Motocross racer being developed in collaboration with strategic partner Electric Motion (EM). The YE-01 Racing Concept will have the aim to contest the electric motocross category, MXEP, a class that will showcase prototype electric bikes at selected FIM Motocross World Championship rounds in the future.
As part of its company-wide environmental goals, Yamaha Motor is committed to achieving carbon neutrality across the entire product lifecycle – including manufacturing and business operations – by 2050. To realise this goal, the company will continue to promote the research and development of various technologies that contribute to sustainability, including electrification, and pursue carbon neutrality through a multi-pathway approach. As part of this strategy, and with the PTW market constantly evolving, Yamaha is continuously monitoring the market acceptance and technological progress of EV solutions.
Regardless of technology, Yamaha’s core philosophy is to enrich people’s lives with powered vehicles that rev their hearts and provide the very best riding experience possible. With this ethos in clear focus, Yamaha embraces the challenge of not just developing EV-powered solutions, but ensuring that they also offer the same satisfaction and excitement that Yamaha riders are accustomed to.
Throughout its 70-year history, Yamaha has always used motorsport as its testing laboratory to evaluate and mature technologies – a strategy that has resulted in numerous technical breakthroughs and innovations.
Following successful participation in the EV class of the FIM Trial World Championship with the electric prototype TY-E, as well as participation in the Formula E championship, Yamaha is now ready to take the next step to obtain valuable experience from electric motocross championship MXEP with the YE-01 Racing Concept.
The objective of racing the YE-01 Racing Concept in MXEP is to strengthen and deepen Yamaha’s technical expertise as well as rider experience, and provide valuable data, knowledge and understanding for the future.
To develop the YE-01 Racing Concept for this activity, Yamaha Motor is collaborating with Electric Motion (EM), Yamaha’s strategic partner since November 2024, following Yamaha Motor’s investment in EM. At its heart, the partnership aims to connect the respective expertise and capabilities of Yamaha and EM to further explore EV-based technologies.
Since its founding in 2009, France-based EM has increased its presence in the offroad world with a range of electric offroad and trial models. EM’s products have achieved spectacular results in the Trial World Championship, the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup — the world’s premier electric offroad motorcycle racing series — and other events.
YE-01 RACING CONCEPT
Yamaha and EM are delighted to present one of their first collaboration projects: The YE-01 Racing Concept, an EV-based motocross racer.
The YE-01 Racing Concept is a live project and will be further developed with the aim of participating in the new electric motocross category, MXEP, that will be part of the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar in the future. This MXEP class will showcase prototype electric bikes across several rounds in Europe, running alongside MXGP events.
The YE-01 Racing Concept merges advanced technologies from both Yamaha and EM.
To ensure it delivers the praised Yamaha riding feeling — a feeling of control and stability — the YE-01 Racing Concept benefits from the latest spec, best-in-class chassis shared with the 2026 YZ450F.
The KYB fully-adjustable speed-sensitive front suspension and rear shock are also shared with the YZ450F and provide exceptional contact and absorption — enabling the rider to race harder and longer, again bringing the ride experience as close to the Yamaha MX production bikes as possible. Meanwhile, taking further design cues from the latest YZ450F, the compact, slim and smooth body and flat seat allow the rider to move freely and comfortably on the bike.
Developed specifically for motocross, the YE-01 Racing Concept features a liquid-cooled electric powertrain, capable to offer MXGP levels of power. To bring the electric power delivery as close as possible to the Yamaha ride feel, the motor is paired with a hydraulic clutch, while the battery location ensures an optimised centre of gravity, much like the reverse-head engine layout in the YZ450F does. Again, following the example of Yamaha’s production bikes, further enhancements to the ride are available through power modes and rider aids, such as traction control, to enable ideal setup for any racing conditions and to gain maximum power, traction and feel in any situation.
The development of the YE-01 Racing Concept will continue and various tests will be performed with Yamaha’s Motocross Test Riders as the project evolves in preparation for the start of the MXEP championship.
