Pedal-assist electric bicycle (Yamaha PAS)
Bicicleta eléctrica de pedaleo asistido (Yamaha PAS)
- Date
- 1993 · confidence medium
- Place
- Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan
- Credited to
- Yamaha Motor
- Field
- Movement
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A bicycle with an electric motor and battery that adds power only while the rider pedals, as measured by a torque sensor. The 1993 Yamaha PAS was the first series-produced pedal-assist bicycle.
Electric bicycle patents date from 1895 (Ogden Bolton) and German and Swiss pedal-assist prototypes from about 1989-1992; the Yamaha PAS is the first series-produced with a torque sensor, according to the available record.
What it led to
- the e-bike market in China, Europe and Japan
- assisted cargo and delivery bikes in cities