On top of shaving down their net-zero goals and debuting a handful of electric machines for our industry, Japanese multi-conglomerate marque Yamaha has another experiment in the lab – and this time, it has to do with engine resin.
Plant-based engine resin, to be exact
The partnership that’s made this possible comes from Yammie’s recent venture with Tokyo-based Nippon Paper Industries, a company who has been experimenting on the creation of weird, oxy-moronic things like waterproof cardboard.
Seem like a quirky use of lab time?
Trust us, it isn’t – at least, not based on the substantial amount of money Yamaha’s willing to hand over to get Nippon’s tech inside Team Blue engines across the Powersports Industry.
“Yamaha Motor is examining the utilization of this material not only in marine products but also in motorcycles and a wide range of other products in the future,” Yamaha says in a press release off BusinessWire.
“[We] will adopt plant-derived cellulose nanofiber (CNF) reinforced resin for marine products as an initiative toward reducing CO2 emissions and the Company’s environmental footprint.”
Yamaha’s new resin-ed hearts will arrive at her water-based Powersports section by 2024, with further potential in the two-wheeled division’s debut TBA – and if what we hear is correct, this new partnership between Yamaha and Nippon will be “the first practical use of the material for vehicle parts.”
Another step in the direction of sustainability, and one that will have Yammie that much closer to their Medium-Term Management Plan (2022–2024), announced in February. Now to get our eager hands on the durability specs sheets…
What do you think? Drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties.