It’s been making ‘green’ bikes in the literal sense for a long time, but now Kawasaki has unveiled its plans to become green in the eco sense, with a path away from purely hydrocarbon-powered machinery.
At a presentation in Milan last month, Kawasaki Motors president Hiroshi Ito shared details on a range of new products, including hybrid petrol/battery powertrains, hydrogen-powered combustion engines and battery-powered 125cc-class bikes. There was a pair of production-ready A1 commuter bikes – a Z-style naked bike and a Ninja-style faired bike, both with a dual battery power setup and 3kWh capacity. They’re set to go on sale next year in Europe, with the more advanced hybrid design slated for 2024. The hybrid uses both an internal combustion engine and electric powertrain and can swap between them seamlessly as needed. This is common on cars, of course, but it remains to be seen how it can be incorporated into smaller, lighter motorbike designs.
Some of the more conceptual machines on show included an electric tricycle called “Noslisu” plus an experimental hydrogen-powered supercharged Ninja H2 engine, using direct injection and compressed gaseous hydrogen. These seem to be a way off still, but Kawasaki reckons they show how committed the firm is to internal combustion engines and research into future fuel types, as well as conventional carbon-neutral tech. Expect more – and more production ready stuff – as the slated 2030/2035 ban on petrol engines comes closer.