Kawasaki released news on an electric sports motorcycle. Meant
to test the concept of electric motorcycles for Kawasaki, the prototype now has
a name, the Kawasaki EV Endeavor.
While the concept of electric motorcycles
(e-bikes) is no longer new, what sets the EV Endeavor apart is its use of a
four-speed gearbox, mimicking the performance of a conventional internal
combustion engined motorcycle. E-bikes tend to only have a single speed with
direct drive from the electric motor to the rear wheel, or a hub-mounted electric
motor, usually found in urban electric scooters.
The EV Endeavor looks to
be about the size of the Kawasaki Ninja 400 or Ninja 650 and from the
single-disc configuration on the front wheel, we’re guessing the weight of
Kawasaki’s e-bike must be below 160 kg or so. Kawasaki has come out to say the
EV Endeavor is very much a test vehicle but as a proof of concept, we have to
say the bike looks very exciting.
There are very few details on the EV
Endeavor, but with an electric motor and chain final drive, it can be assumed
acceleration will be nothing short of exciting, as Kawasaki is keen to demonstrate
in one of the series of teaser videos. Also, no word on on when the EV Endeavor
might be coming to the market, but it has been mentioned it will be coming to
market soon, but possibly not in this form.
However, Kawasaki has been known to come
out with motorcycles that answer the questions no one asked but then proceed to
raise the technological bar for the rest of the market. We will be keeping our
eyes on this one.
