Kawasaki announces
The Japanese company Kawasaki has announced its intention to switch to the sale of electric vehicles only by the year 2035, at least in Western countries. It is one of the first motorcycle manufacturers to announce this commitment, while leaving a door open to the sale of heat-engine vehicles in developing countries. Nonetheless, this is a huge promise from of Kawasaki, which to date does not have any type of electric motorbike in production nor in circulation on our roads. On the occasion of EICMA 2019, Kawasaki had shown an electric motorcycle concept, a concept that today has evolved into some patents presented by the Japanese house: judging from the leaked images, it can be assumed that Kawasaki is working on a Ninja 400 version electric with interchangeable batteries.A few weeks after that distant EICMA, Kawasaki had unbuttoned some technical data of the bike, definitely disappointing expectations: the project in the pipeline relates to a bike capable of delivering 13 horsepower continuous power and 27 maximum peak horsepower, certainly not one of those bikes that makes enthusiasts dream.
There have been few and sporadic updates on Kawasaki's progress since then, but nonetheless the company has claimed to want to launch 10 models of electric motorcycles on the market by 2025: this is a window of less than 4 years in which the house aims to release a number of models more than what Zero Motorcycles - the current leader of the electric motorcycle market - did in more than a decade.
Finally, by 2035, Kawasaki aims to sell only electric motorcycles in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan: for a company that currently sells around 380,000 motorcycles a year, yes it is a decidedly important commitment, but fundamental to capture the attention of the new generations of two-wheel enthusiasts.
It's Official. Kawasaki Motorcycles Is Going All-Electric by 2035
Following the lead of several high-profile automakers that have announced plans to go all-electric, Kawasaki Motorcycles Heavy Industries said it will make all of its bikes electric for markets in developed countries by 2035, a report by Nikkei Asia explains.
Kawasaki Motorcycle's ambitious plans do come with the caveat that the company doesn't have a proven record when it comes to e-motorcycles — there are currently no electric Kawasaki motorcycles on the market. However, the company says that it plans to have more than 10 electric models on the market by 2025 and it is working on developing hybrid, all-electric, and hydrogen motorcycles.
By 2035, Kawasaki Motorcycles aims to go completely electric in Japan, Europe, the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The Japanese firm also stated it aims to increase sales by 2.4 to 1 trillion yen ($9 billion) and raise its operating profit margin to over 8 percent by 2030 compared to 6.1 percent this fiscal year.
Kawasaki Motorcycles says its efforts to curb carbon emissions go hand-in-hand with attempts to provide easy means to travel in a post-pandemic world. It feels motorcycles can provide safe transportation in a world where people are more conscious of the dangers of infectious disease and the benefits of traveling solo. 'Outdoor leisure activity has been popular during the COVID pandemic,' said Yasuhiko Hashimoto, president of Kawasaki Heavy Industries 'We will strengthen our environmental efforts with our sights set on post-pandemic lifestyles.'
Other motorcycle firms have also announced plans for electrification. Honda, for example, the world's largest motorcycle producer, recently announced it aims to produce 100 percent electric vehicles by 2040. Motorcycles, however, are generally behind cars in the race to go electric. In July, for example, iconic carmaker Mercedes-Benz announced it would only produce electric vehicles by the end of the decade. Alongside its electrification goals, Kawasaki Motorcycles announced it will expand its production capacity at its plant in the state of Nebraska in the U.S. by March 2023 and that it will build a new plant in Mexico that will go into operation in 2023.