Already seen at the Intermot ‘2022 show in Cologne a few weeks ago, the Kawasaki Z EV should soon discover European roads. In any case, this was suggested by Mr. Hiroshi Ito, the president of Kawasaki Motors Corporation.
He took advantage of the International Two-Wheel Fair in Milan, the Eicma 2022, to detail his “carbon neutrality” strategy called Go with Green Power. The manufacturer intends to prove that its favorite color is not just an advertising emblem and that it also promotes future-oriented mobility solutions.
As such, the manufacturer presented three electric and hybrid vehicles: the Ninja EV, the Z EV and the Hybrid EV.
At the moment we have almost no technical details. We just know that the Ninja EV and Z EV will have a dual battery with a capacity of 3 kWh in order to comply with the legislation for A1 license holders. Little autonomy and a maximum continuous power of 15 hp are therefore to be expected. We do not know the torque, but given our various tests of electric two-wheelers, these motorcycles will undoubtedly be reserved for exclusively urban use.
More versatile, the Kawasaki Hybrid EV will combine a combustion engine coupled with an electric motor. Unfortunately, we have no indication at the moment of the weight or the potential autonomy of the electric group. But the manufacturer ensures that the transition between electric and thermal motorization will be transparent. Again, we should not expect this model to enter production before 2024.
In parallel, Kawasaki Motors presented a prototype engine running on hydrogen from the H2. Although the manufacturer is investing in the development of battery-powered and hybrid electric two-wheelers, the company is not ready to give up thermal energy: by 2025, it plans to market between 30 and 35 new motorcycles with heat engine, of which about half on the European market. The motorcycle sector is in fact not affected by the thermal engine ban planned by the European Parliament in 2035, because production volumes are too low. In France, for example, the motorcycle fleet represents less than 2% of the entire vehicle fleet.