In a move towards carbon neutrality, Kawasaki revealed its electric motorcycle prototypes at the 2022 EICMA show in Italy. On display were the Z BEV naked sports, Ninja BEV sportsbike and the HEV hybrid electric as well as a hydrogen-powered prototype.
The Z BEV and Ninja BEV are battery-powered, using dual batteries with a maximum capacity of 3 kWh. The Z BEV is a basic naked sports motorcycle while the Ninja BEV takes the bodywork from Kawasaki’s Ninja 250 and both are intended for Europe’s A1 vehicle licence regulations, entering the European market in 2023.
Alongside the Z EV and Ninja EV, Kawasaki also showed its hybrid motorcycle, the HEV. The HEV combines an internal combustion engine and hybrid battery power and is part of its 2024 product range. Also shown was Kawasaki’s first ever hydrogen-powered motorcycle in prototype form, taking the form of a Kawasaki Ninja H2. Using the supercharged engine from the H2, the hydrogen prototype uses direct injection and compressed gaseous hydrogen as fuel.
During the presentation at EICMA, President of Kawasaki Motors, Hiroshi Ito, said Kawasaki plans to introduce about 30 internal combustion engined motorcycles globally. Of these, about half will be destined for the European market.Coming with diverse and extensive experience in heavy engineering, Mohan enjoys making anything with wheels go fast, especially motorcycles. His weapon of choice is the Desmoquattro engine, and he has a penchant for anything with a dash of Italian design.