Sometimes, in our travels, we stumble on things that are rather surprising. Not surprising that they exist, but surprising that we didn't know about them before - for all the time we spend immersed in the EV world. This time, a video caught our eye. This video:

Now doesn't that look like fun? Even at that, this video came out in August... where were we? A little research yielded this site: the Yamaha Global eBike Systems. It would appear that Yamaha built the power systems for what looks like complete bolt-in electric bicycle assist kits. And, have been doing it since when? Since 1993?

E-kit with Rear Carrier Type Battery

Here's what Yamaha has to say on the site:

"In 1993, Yamaha Motor started marketing the first e-Bike system equipped on a bicycle, the Yamaha PAS (Power Assist System). The 20 years following is a history of how we developed the market for a new genre - the E-Bike - from scratch. In countries with a history of bicycling, such as Germany and The Netherlands, and in Japan, our mother market, the "electrically power assisted bicycle", or E-Bike, has secured a position within the bicycle market as a new genre. The Yamaha e-Bike systems created the European market are equipped with proven technologies from our marketing activities in Japan."

Wait, there's more video. Here's a cool little video showing the components being made:

PAS 20th anniversary catalogue. There you'll learn all about the lineage of today's bikes, along with some interesting sensor technology introduced with the 2013 model line.