Kawasaki will take a cautious approach and minimize emissions through a multi-plan, rather than concentrating all its energy on batteries and electric motors. Kawasaki is now testing an electric motorcycle codenamed Endeavor
Japanese industrial giant Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) is promoting electric, hybrid and hydrogen-powered motorcycles in its 2030 group vision plan. In the corporate progress report, KHI President and CEO Yasuhiko Hashimoto Kawasaki Motors responded to the ever-changing social environment and growing environmental awareness.
Kawasaki is currently developing the EV Endeavor, a pure electric motorcycle equipped with a four-speed gearbox to optimize torque and acceleration. Aiming to be a technology demonstrator, EV Endeavor imitates the performance of traditional internal combustion engine motorcycles. KHI will seek cooperation with other industry participants to develop alternative fuels and electric motorcycles, as well as cooperation on hybrid technologies.
Efforts are also being made to seek alliances with other companies to promote KHI’s motorcycle and automobile business. One example is the revitalization of the Bimota brand. In October 2021, a new company called Kawasaki Motors will be established to focus on KHI’s two-wheeler business. At the same time, a “Kawasaki Plaza” store will be opened to cultivate a new customer base through lifestyle brands.
In Japan, 77 such stores have been opened since 2017, representing a 60% increase in the customers of this 20-year-old group, and an 80% increase in sales of motorcycles over 400cc. In the global transition from fossil fuels to electrification, the automotive industry is in a difficult position, but so far, manufacturers of flagship motorcycles have not set foot in electrified waters. We expect that this situation will slowly begin to change in the next few years, and a recent speech by a large industry owner in Kawasaki supports this view.
However, Kawasaki will take a cautious approach and minimize emissions through a multi-plan, rather than concentrating all its energy on batteries and electric motors. Kawasaki is now testing an electric motorcycle codenamed Endeavor. It’s a rumor; it has similar performance to a 400cc fuel bike and is powered by a large lithium ion battery. We hope to produce mass-produced motorcycles with full style fairings at some point in the near future.
The company “will accelerate the development of electric motors and hybrid hydrogen.” 4,444 Japanese motorcycle manufacturers scoffed at their hybrid future late last year Future Car Design We believe this does not reflect the production model. But the hybrid system will be equipped with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor and a small lithium-ion battery, which will provide an interesting combination of performance and efficiency.
We don’t know much about Kawasaki’s hydrogen intentions, but the fact that it also plans to use fuel in the marine and aerospace industries means that it can invest heavily in this technology. Some pictures on the company’s slide show that, like Toyota, it may be seeking to use hydrogen to power its internal combustion engine, rather than generating electricity. Fuel cells, but we can only wait and see.