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New Yamaha eBike 2018 PW SE Series

New: Yamaha Electric Bike System Updates for 2018

By Martin Brown |

We take an exclusive first look at updates to the new Yamaha electric bike system for 2018. Yamaha has been working on new updates to appear on some 2018 eBikes. We previously blogged about the introduction of Yamaha PW-X series systems to high spec electric mountain bikes for 2017, exclusively for Haibike eBikes.


Moving forward, Yamaha adds to the current setup for Yamaha PW and PW-X series. Whilst bringing a new motor type to the line up for 2018 code named - Yamaha PW Series SE.

Yamaha PW Series SE 2018

The new PWseries SE will run alongside the PW-X line up, inheriting many of the features from the standard PW series, but expands on the features and assistance available. The PW SE will have revised cadence, from the previous 100 rpm it will now cover up to 110 rpm. This raises the support to the rider in higher gears and at a higher cadence. Like the PW series, the PW SE offers 4 support levels: - Eco+, Eco, Std and High. With rider assistance starting at 50% and up to 280% assist. Torque is offered up to 70Nm.

New Yamaha PW SE Series eBike Design 2018 Interestingly the motor will come preprogrammed by the bike manufacturer in one of two software versions depending on the style of bike. The Black & Green spec is as follows: Black Spec: Powerful feeling from the off, designed for sporty style eBikes. Green Spec: Moderated power when pulling away & at low speeds. Designed for city eBikes. Yamaha has also added extra communications from the motor. So Bluetooth® connectivity is now possible. Although nothing concrete has been confirmed yet regarding use, we expect a smart phone app or device to follow soon offering extra functions to the user. You'll likely see a UI offering speed and assistance mode controls on the fly. With statistics logged like speed, distance, average speed & cadence.

Yamaha PW compared to Yamaha PW SESeries Although the PW and PW SE series look the same on the outside, it's the internals that change. The motor is clearly defined by using a Red logo on the PW SE and White on the PW series.

Yamaha eBike Display 2018

The Yamaha PW SE will only come specified with the later compact LCD control panel which is shared with the Yamaha PW-X line up.

Yamaha PW-X eBike LCD Compact Display 2018 The compact LCD display offers 4 levels of assist. With Bluetooth® connectivity, a USB power supply and a separate control unit to the left to navigate the assistance levels and scroll. The compact LCD display offers on the fly bike parameters. These include- Speed, Battery capacity, Average bicycle speed, Maximum bicycle speed, Trip meter, Odometer, Range, Battery Capacity (%), Cadence, Clock and a Stopwatch. The standard PW series will be offered with either the basic LED control panel (pictured left) or the LCD multifunction display (pictured on the right). The bike will be specified by the manufacturer with either display, depending on the model spec and price.

Yamaha PW Series LCD and LED Control Panel 2018 The LCD multifunction display sits in the centre with a control panel to the left. It includes data for the rider such as- Speed, Battery capacity, Average bicycle speed, Maximum bicycle speed, Trip meter, Odometer, Range, Battery Capacity (%), Cadence and a Clock. The LED control just 3 assistance modes - Eco, Standard & High. It shows speed in Km/h, Range and Battery Capacity. It's a more basic control, sitting to the left on the handlebars.

Yamaha eBike Battery 2018

The Yamaha battery system will be the same moving forward across all PW, PW-X & PW SE series systems. Completely interchangeable between bikes. All using the newer charger which came out last year, which is lighter in weight and overall more compact.

Yamaha 2018 PW SE Series Motor, Controller and Battery It will be available on bikes in both frame and rack mount versions, but we'd expect most will be frame mounted, even on the unisex versions. Bikes will continue to be specified by the manufacturer with either 500 or 400Wh batteries depending on the model, spec and price.

When is it available?

Technically, both the PW series and PW-X are already in motion on current 2017 bikes moving forward. The PW SE will likely be released onto some MTB bikes for 2018. It's also likely Haibike will, again, be exclusive for PW-X through the course of 2018 and we'd expect news soon on the PW SE coming onto 2018 Haibike's too.

View the full range of Yamaha powered eBikes here - Yamaha Electric Bikes.

Martin Brown at E-Bikeshop.co.uk
About Martin Brown

Martin has been in the electric bike industry for over 15 years & has helped it grow from the start. Promoting eBikes across the UK at events & offering the very best advice, tech articles, blogs & videos. In particular Martin is a major player for progressing the use of eMTB's, today owner of e-bikeshop.co.uk - The UK's largest eBike supplier specialising in Bosch, Yamaha and Shimano, good quality European eBikes.

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