Kawasaki EV Prototype Previews Its First Electric Motorcycle

Kawasaki has previewed the first electric motorcycle that it will soon bring to the market.

Unveiled in prototype guise at the recent Intermot motorcycle trade fair in Cologne, Germany, the EV prototype will hit the market before the end of the year and forms part of Kawasaki’s plan to offer more than 10 electric and hybrid electric motorcycles by 2025.

The EV prototype will be the electric equivalent of a 125 cc motorcycle when it hits the market and has a simple design that doesn’t scream, ‘Hey, look, I’m an electric bike!’ Indeed, one could be fooled for thinking it has a small-capacity combustion engine that has been hidden under some black body work. Indeed, the design of the EV Prototype is very similar to the Kawasaki Z400 and has the same frame.

Read: All New Kawasaki Motorcycles Sold In Developed Markets Will Be Electric By 2035

With this in mind, the bodywork, tail, headlight cluster, and front suspension setup of the EV appear identical to the Z400. One obvious change is the smaller hump that Kawasaki could design due to the bike not needing a traditional gas tank. Motorcycle reports that the brakes and wheels have been borrowed from a Z300 or Ninja 300.

Technical specifications about the prototype, or the production model that will follow, are not yet known and probably won’t be announced until the road-going bike is unveiled before the end of the year. The production bike is expected to look virtually identical to the EV Prototype.

Kawasaki Motors Europe managing director Masaya Tsuruno spoke about the company’s plans at Intermot, stating that it will present three electric vehicles globally by the end of 2022. He added that while Kawasaki is developing electric bikes, it will not yet abandon internal combustion engines and is considering the use of e-fuel and biofuels.