Is Kawasaki ahead in electric-hybrid race?

In the past few years, we’ve seen frequent instances of prototype motorcycles making the swift transition to production-ready.

Can we draw the same inference from a pair of motorcycles – an electric and the other a hybrid – that Kawasaki recently revealed at the famed Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race in Japan? On a track owned by arch-rival Honda, mind you…

Who knows, Honda’s security guards may have missed tackling them as the Kawasakis audaciously took to the main straight at dusk on the Saturday, but what the firm gave us was a sneak peek into the bikes that may form part of its 2021 pledge to release 10 electric or hybrid models by 2025. That same document outlined a blueprint for complete carbon-neutral electrification by 2035.

The bikes – marked EV and HEV respectively – weren’t out on track for too long, but the EV naked roadster was about a 125cc-equivalent and the battery pack looked quite small.

Kawasaki, along with Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha, is part of a Japanese consortium to standardise swappable batteries for electric motorcycle. That means cassette-type removable battery and connector packs – available at battery stations – could become the norm instead of large, bulky and fixed batteries. For a lightweight EV like the Kawasaki machine at Suzuka, the small and lithe batteries make complete sense.

Taiwanese manufacturer Kymco first unveiled the vending machine-type battery consoles in the launch of its ionex scooter in 2018, but the machine is yet to go into volume production.

Related Reading:
Kawasaki plans for all-electric operations by 2035
Kawasaki developing hybrid-power motorcycles
Major bike builders agree to develop swappable batteries

If the electric-only motorcycle still creates too much nerve jangling, the Kawasaki HEV hybrid might be the answer with the ability to use each power source independently. In other words, electric, petrol engine or hybrid, and the petrol engine can also be used as a generator to recharge the battery.

Options galore which can only come in a hybrid setup, and the fully faired HEV at Suzuka appeared to be using a swathe of Z400/Ninja componentry which we’re not sure will be kept or jettisoned on the production model.

What’s next? Kawasaki has surprised us all with its Suzuka reveals, and the company has already proved that it’s not scared to embrace engineering paths – supercharging, for example – that others stay clear of.

Could the 2025 EV and HEV timetable be brought forward? Don’t bet against it…