Much like most automakers these days, Kawasaki has jumped on the electric bandwagon as it announced this week that all of its motorcycles sold in developed markets will be battery-powered by 2035.
The Japanese company confirmed the move in a recent business policy briefing that outlines its push towards carbon neutrality. It also confirmed that it will invest in hydrogen powertrains and stated that it will introduce an average of 16 new motorcycles models per year by 2025, including electric and hydrogen models.
While the sales of electric cars continue to grow strongly in developed markets, electric motorcycles are lagging in this department. There are some electric motorcycles and scooters on the market but most are focused on commuters, not the motorcycling enthusiasts that typically buy bikes from Kawasaki.
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A number of challenges need to be overcome to bring electric motorcycles to the mass market. Most obvious is the importance of overcoming the weight of electric motors and battery packs. If Kawasaki does manage to develop motorcycles with comparable weight and power figures to the combustion-powered bikes it currently sells, it will then need to convince people to buy them.
Having owned a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R myself, I can say that a large portion of those that buy motorcycles from Kawasaki do so because they love motorcycles, not because they are looking for a means of transport to get from point A to point B. By comparison, many people do buy cars simply for transportation, hence why electric cars may make sense for them.
Then there’s the issue of replicating the feel of riding a motorcycle. After all, there is nothing quite like straddling a fuel tank and sitting atop a powerful combustion engine. Kawasaki president Hashimoto Yasuhiko has admitted that one challenge for electric motorcycles will indeed be addressing the importance of traditional engine sounds and vibrations that enthusiasts love. He says Kawasaki is working on it.
