Japanese motorcycle Manufacturer Kawasaki has invested a substantial amount of money in electric powertrains, but it’s not ready to ditch the internal combustion engine just yet. It unveiled a prototype powered by an experimental hydrogen-burning supercharged four-cylinder engine.
Development work started in 2022, according to website for enthusiasts Motorcycleand Kawasaki became the first company to publicly test a hydrogen-powered motorcycle when it showed its prototype at the Suzuka circuit in Japan. Power comes from a 998 cubic centimeter supercharged four-cylinder that is related to the engine in the Ninja H2but it is adapted to burn hydrogenOn paper this sounds like what Toyota is testingCompanies like BMW using hydrogen to generate electricity in a hybrid-like powertrain.
While the experimental Flower crown looks a lot like the model on your nearest dealers Many, Kawasaki’s prototype stands out for a very futuristic design characterized by sharp curves. It is more difficult to integrate hydrogen storage tanks into a motorcycle than into a car. In this application, hydrogen is stored in a pair of suitcase-like tanks placed behind the rider. It is lighter than gasoline, so the location of the tanks should not have a catastrophic effect on weight distribution, but it is not as dense, so Kawasaki needs larger tanks to achieve the same range. We are told that the chassis of the prototype is completely new; it has been developed from the ground up with hydrogen technology in mind.
Technical specifications such as horsepower, range and weight have not yet been released. However, project leader Satoaki Ichi noted that the prototype should feel and sound a lot like a regular gasoline motorcycle with a few added benefits. “Hydrogen burns faster and under a wider range of conditions than gasoline, making it possible to create a more responsive feel than ever before,” he said.
Hydrogen engines face the same major hurdle as hydrogen cars: a lack of infrastructure. With that in mind, there’s no word yet on what the future holds for Kawasaki’s prototype, let alone when we’ll see it in showrooms. Kawasaki is teaming up with rivals Suzuki, Hondaand Yamaha about the technology, but Ichi stressed that the project is still in an embryonic stage of development.