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Mar 04

Yamaha Motor First to Use Green Aluminum in Japanese Motorcycles

By General Posts

Will gradually adopt low-carbon aluminum in the drive toward carbon-neutral materials

Yamaha Motor announced today that it has reached an agreement with an aluminum ingot supplier for the procurement of green aluminum, and began using it as a raw material for parts in Yamaha motorcycles in February 2023. This is the first time for green aluminum to be used in Japanese motorcycles and Yamaha Motor plans to gradually expand its usage in models going forward.

“Green aluminum” is aluminum that is refined using renewable energy sources to emit around 60% less CO2 in its manufacture compared to traditionally refined aluminum. Of course, the percentage of less emission by renewable energy depends per manufacturer. Aluminum parts account for 12% to 31%. of the total vehicle weight of a motorcycle, so adopting green aluminum is one effective approach for reducing CO2 emissions from the raw material manufacturing part of a product’s life cycle (falls under Scope 3 Category 1 emissions for supply chains).

Through the development of its engineering and production technologies and expertise, Yamaha Motor has actively pushed the use of recycled aluminum, which now comprises some 80% of Yamaha Motor’s aluminum usage. This introduction of green aluminum is meant to complement this and will be employed for parts that still cannot be manufactured with recycled materials. As a first step, Yamaha Motor will utilize green aluminum for certain parts in its large-displacement and off-road competition motorcycles, and Yamaha Motor plans to expand the number of models using the material in the future as available supply volumes allow.

In line with the Yamaha Motor Group Environmental Plan 2050, the company is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality throughout all of its business activities—including its entire supply chain—by 2050. To realize this, Yamaha Motor has set a goal of switching to 100% sustainable materials by 2050, such as adopting more plant-derived resin materials, developing recyclable polypropylene, and adopting green materials and other recycled materials for its motorcycles manufactured in Japan and overseas.

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Aug 05

Another Successful Year at Loretta Lynn’s for Kawasaki Team Green

By General Posts

Foothill Ranch, Calif. (August 5, 2019) – Kawasaki Team Green™ wrapped up the 37th Annual AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch, in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee with plenty to celebrate. Team Green left the ranch with five championships, 11 overall podium finishes, and 14 moto wins.

The Team Green squad of Krystian Janik and Drew Adams contested the 85cc (10-12) and the 85cc (10-12) Limited classes aboard their KX™85 motorcycles. The Team Green duo occupied the podium throughout the week, however, one bad moto for each of them would ultimately hinder their overall results, but they showed they had the speed to compete with the best in the country in the 85cc class. Adams was able to secure second place overall in the 85cc (10-12) Limited class with fellow Team Green rider Thor Powell rounding out the top-5 in fifth.

Ryder DiFrancesco donned the No. 1 on his KX™85 for Team Green in the Mini Sr. 1 class as reigning champion and No. 99 in Mini Sr. 2 class. In the last Mini Sr. 2 moto, DiFrancesco looked poised to grab the championship with his 2-1 moto scores, and rocketed out of the gate to the first corner grabbing the holeshot, but he fell in the ensuing corner. From last position, the California native scratched and clawed his way back to the front of the pack. At the half way point of the race, DiFrancesco had brought the crowd to their feet as he ran the fastest lap of the week in the Mini Sr. classes, four seconds faster than any rider. After moving into third place, a crash on the last lap ultimately dropped him to fifth where 2-1-5 moto scores placed him third overall in the championship standings. Coming into the final moto of the week after suffering some misfortune in the Mini Sr. 1 (12-14) class, DiFrancesco made a statement to his competitors by winning the final moto in dominant fashion.

Stilez Robertson led the charge for Monster Energy Team Green big bike riders aboard his KX™250, battling for wins and championships in both the 250 B and Schoolboy 2 (12-17) B/C divisions. Robertson set the tone early in the week by winning the first 250 B moto and made it known that he was one of the fastest at the ranch in 2019. His consistency throughout the week was what ultimately earned him the championship in the 250 B class with 1-2-2 scores, and 3-5-2 scores in the Schoolboy 2 class that were good enough for second place overall in the championship battle.

Just as he has done all year long at other major amateur nationals, the No. 55 green machine of Dylan Cunha won in dominant fashion throughout the week. In the 250 C class he was able to remain perfect the entire week by sweeping the class with 1-1-1 moto scores. In the 250 C Jr. (12-17) class, a bad crash in his second moto hindered his overall results but was still able to manage a 10th place overall finish in the class.

John Grewe would once again win the Masters 50+ championship for the fourth consecutive year. Grewe also placed his Babbitt’s Online Kawasaki KX™450 on the podium with a second overall in the Senior 40+ class with 2-2-2 scores, while fellow Team Green riders Gregory Pamart and Ryan Valade rounded out the top five behind Grewe.

In the vet classes it was not only about Team Green’s Grewe who had success, in the Senior 45+ class there was a first time Loretta Lynn’s champion crowned by the name of John Bowlin aboard his KX™450. Bowlin sat with a 1-1 score heading into the final moto of the week and was put to the test as the Tennessee skies darkened and the rain began to engulf the track. Despite the conditions, Bowlin was bound and determined to capture his first ever championship and did just that by sweeping the Senior 45+ class with perfect scores. Fellow Team Green rider Don Boespflug joined Bowlin on the podium with 3-5-2 scores, earning a second place overall in the class.

Joining Grewe and Bowlin in the vet championships was Nicholas Hayes who captured the Vet 30+ championship with consistent riding throughout the week. But much like his competitors, he would be forced to overcome adversity. After finishing first and third in his first two motos, Hayes pulled into “Greenville” seeking the aid of the Kawasaki Trackside Support team. The team quickly got him and his machine back to race ready. Hayes went on to win the final moto and the championship, stating “none of this would have been possible without the help yesterday from Kawasaki Team Green’s Trackside support crew. I can’t thank those guys enough!” Fellow Team Green rider Taylor Painter joined in on the action with a third place overall finish in the Vet 30+ class.

“It’s always great coming to Loretta Lynn’s,” said Team Green Manager, Ryan Holliday. “We enjoy catching up with so many of our Kawasaki racers and families from coast to coast. We strive to give them the best experience and support that our Team Green staff can provide. It was awesome to have some of our new lineup of 2020 KX™ and KLX® models out on display all week long for people to come check out.”

Kawasaki Championships and Top-5 Finishes
Loretta Lynn’s AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship:

250 B
1st – Stilez Robertson

250 C
1st – Dylan Cunha

Masters (50+)
1st – John Grewe

Vet (30+)
1st – Nicholas Hayes
3rd – Taylor Painter

Senior (45+)
1st – John Bowlin
2nd – Don Boespflug

Senior (40+)
2nd – John Grewe
4th – Gregory Pamart
5th – Ryan Valade

SchoolBoy 2 (12-17) B/C
2nd – Stilez Robertson

85cc (10-12) Limited
2nd – Drew Adams
5th – Thor Powell

Mini Sr. 1 (13-15)
3rd – Ryder DiFrancesco

Girls (11-16)
4th – Landrey Hazen

Aug 04

Shared e-scooters aren’t as environmentally friendly as other transport options

By General Posts

 

A new study has found that e-scooters may be greener than most cars, but they can be less green than several other options.

Washington DC: People who think electric scooters or e-scooters are environmentally friendly, take note!

A new study has found that e-scooters may be greener than most cars, but they can be less green than several other options.

“E-scooter companies tout themselves as having little or no carbon footprint, which is a bold statement,” said Jeremiah Johnson, the corresponding author of the study

“We wanted to look broadly at the environmental impacts of shared e-scooters – and how that compares to other local transportation options.”

To capture the impact of e-scooters, researchers looked at emissions associated with four aspects of each scooter’s life cycle: the production of the materials and components that go into each scooter; the manufacturing process; shipping the scooter from the manufacturer to its city of use; and collecting, charging and redistributing the scooters.

The researchers also conducted a small-scale survey of e-scooter riders to see what modes of transportation they would have used if they hadn’t used an e-scooter.

The researchers found that 49 per cent of riders would have biked or walked; 34 per cent would have used a car; 11 per cent would have taken a bus; and 7 per cent wouldn’t have taken the trip at all.

In order to compare the impact of e-scooters to that of other transport options, the researchers looked at previously published life cycle analyses of cars, buses, electric mopeds, and bicycles.

Researchers looked at four types of pollution and environmental impact: climate change impact; nutrient loading in water; respiratory health impacts related to air pollution; and acidification.

The performance results were similar for all four types of pollution.

“A lot of what we found is pretty complicated, but a few things were clear,” said Johnson.

“Biking – even with an electric bike – is almost always more environmentally friendly than using a shared e-scooter. The sole possible exception is for people who use pay-to-ride bike-share programs. Those companies use cars and trucks to redistribute the bicycles in their service area, which can sometimes make them less environmentally friendly than using an e-scooter.”

By the same token, the study found that driving a car is almost always less environmentally friendly than using an e-scooter.

But some results may surprise you. For example, taking the bus on a route with high ridership is usually more environmentally friendly than an e-scooter.

“We found that the environmental impact from the electricity used to charge the e-scooters is fairly small – about 5 per cent of its overall impact,” said Johnson. “The real impact comes largely from two areas: using other vehicles to collect and redistribute the scooters; and emissions related to producing the materials and components that go into each scooter.”

That means that there are two major factors that contribute to each scooter’s environmental footprint. First is that the less driving that is done to collect and redistribute the scooters, the smaller the impact. The second factor is the scooters’ lifetime: the longer the scooter is in service, the more time it has to offset the impact caused by making all of its constituent parts.