Except it’s not.
Yamaha has rebadged the Honda Benly e: in the Japanese market as the GEAREV. The specs remain the same as the base Benly e scooter, with a side-mounted 2.8 kW (peak) motor doing the traction duty.
Like the Benly e:, the GEAREV would also be targeted at the business and utility segments. In Japan, the only market where the GEAREV (and the Benly e:) would be offered, these scooters are classified as Class 1 motorized bicycles (Class 1 moped). It can be driven with a motorcycle license (Motorized Bicycle License or higher) or a regular driver’s license for four-wheeled vehicles.
Honda MPPs Bring the Juice
Like the Benly e:. the GEAREV would use the Honda MPPs as the energy source. In Japan, the MPPs are deployed under the Gachaco consortium network in which Yamaha has a 7% stake while Honda holds 47%. The other two Japanese manufacturers, Suzuki and Kawasaki, are also minority partners. ENEOS Innovation Partners, part of the oil giant ENEOS, owns a 35% stake.
Under the consortium agreement, ENEOS deploys the batteries (Honda MPPs) while all the manufacturers would deploy vehicles to run on the swapping network. Honda already has the Benly e:/Gyro e: and the CUV e: scooters on the network, but the other three have not been so nimble. Suzuki and Kawasaki have not even bothered, while Yamaha outsourced the vehicle development job to Honda.
The Benly e: is not even a new product. It has been around in the Japanese market since 2019. So Yamaha is rebadging a rather old, yet useful, scooter.
This is also not the first scooter that Yamaha is deploying on the Gachaco network. In December last year, Yamaha had launched the Jog E, a compact commuter scooter based on the Honda EM1 e:.
Meet the Yamaha Jog E…and it Looks Familiar
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Rebadging is not new to Yamaha. Across the world, it rebadges, or outsources development of its electric range to regional partners. In India, it deploys the EC-06 scooter, developed by its local partner and investee, River.
In Taiwan, Yamaha has the CUXiE, a rebodied Gogoro Jego. Earlier, it had the EC-05, a white-labeled Gogoro S2, and the EMF scooter, a sporty electric scooter using Gogoro batteries, motor, and electricals, with Yamaha’s self-developed chassis.
Will Yamaha Ever Develop its Own?
Actually, it does.
For a long time, Yamaha has had the NEO’s e-scooter in the European market. It’s good-looking, lacks any potency, and sells slowly.
Recently, Yamaha also launched the Aerox E in the Indian market. The sporty Aerox has two portable batteries, each 1.5 kWh, but they are not the Honda MPPs. Instead, Yamaha uses batteries from Foresee Power, the same packs that also go into Kawasaki’s electric Ninjas.
