Kawasaki, the popular Japanese motorbike maker, has made its stand known concerning the electrification wave blowing through the global automobile industry. It too is going electric, although it will take its time. Kawasaki’s timeline to end the production of fossil fuel-burning automobiles stretches till 2035.
It is strange that the famed power bike maker is yet to put out a single battery-powered model in a world where even startups are churning out such bikes day in day out. But Kawasaki reassured us that it was at least thinking of electric bikes when it revealed a concept electric motorcycle at the EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show.
It appears the wait is over, or rather timed, for Kawasaki’s fans who want to ride zero-emission bikes. The company seems to be turning on the firehose of electric bikes as it announced it would release ten new models by 2025. This could mean either Kawasaki had been operating in stealth mode and has accumulated models or is setting ambitious targets for itself.
Either way, Kawasaki has about four years to catch up with its peers who have not been resting. It should not have a problem finding buyers, given its loyal fan base. For riders who are not comfortable with purely electric motorcycles, Kawasaki includes hybrid models.
Looking into Kawaski’s electrification plans closely, the company is committing to ending the sale of gas-powered motorbikes in its main markets, which corresponds to developed countries, like the US, Canada, countries of Europe, Australia, and Japan. Notably, Kawasaki will still sell hybrid motorbikes in the countries mentioned above.
Kawasaki will continue to sell non-electric motorcycles in the rest of the world even after 2035. With its design prowess with gas-powered bikes, there is little doubt about Kawasaki’s ability to deliver solid electric bikes. However, it will be interesting to see how Kawasaki gets around the iconic engine noises in its future electric motorcycles.
The company once applied for a patent on an electric bike with swappable batteries, giving us a glimpse of what to expect.