Yamaha will run its YE-01 electric motocross concept at the Motocross of Nations for the first time, aiming the machine toward a still-unlaunched electric world championship.

Yamaha Motor will display and run its YE-01 Racing Concept at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations 2026 in Ernée, France, from 2 October — the bike’s first announced public run since it was shown at EICMA 2025 in Milan. The company says the run is aimed at eventual participation in MXEP. The MXEP electric motocross racing series was first announced in 2024 for a 2026 start. Yamaha described the series as “scheduled to launch in the near future,” but at this stage a launch date is still not confirmed.

The YE-01 was co-designed with Electric Motion SAS, the French electric motorcycle manufacturer, combining Yamaha’s YZ450F chassis technology with Electric Motion’s power-unit expertise. Electric Motion is best known to Australians for the range of electric trials bikes sold here — see our recent article on its 2027 models. Yamaha frames the project under the banner “Expanding the Possibilities of Riders and Machines” — aiming to “preserve the core appeal of motocross while proposing a new form of enjoyment that leverages the unique characteristics of electric power.”

Three features are called out specifically: a newly developed frame built on YZ450F chassis technology, “delivering high handling stability and excellent control that provides a clear connection between the rider and machine”; a YE-01-specific power unit jointly developed by Yamaha and Electric Motion; and a mechanical clutch, which Yamaha says lets the rider control drive force directly.

Yamaha ties the project to its Environmental Plan 2050, under which the company is pursuing carbon neutrality across its supply chain through what it calls a multi-pathway approach — electrification being one strand of several.

No rider has been named for the Ernée run, and Yamaha has not released power, torque, battery, range or weight figures.

Source: global.yamaha-motor.com — checked 29 September 2026.