Kawasaki electric motorbike named EV Endeavor
After Kawasaki officially confirmed the development of an electric motorcycle last year, the Japanese manufacturer has now released a series of videos with further details. The electric bike is to be called the Kawasaki EV Endeavor.
The details are still sparse, but complement the information from last autumn. At the time, the video only showed that the test rider on the electric bike was still shifting gears. Now it has been revealed that Kawasaki will use a four-speed transmission for the EV Endeavor. This is less than the six speeds currently used on internal combustion motorcycles but significantly more than other electric motorcycle companies that – without exception – all use clutch-free one-speed transmissions.
Kawasaki has not yet given any technical data on the engine or battery, but the motorcycle magazine Visordown speaks of 19 kW drive power. In the photos, however, it is noticeable that the engine is small compared to other electric motorcycles on the market. This is probably due to the combination with the multi-speed gearbox, which allows a smaller engine with the same high torque at the rear wheel.
The motorcycle itself follows the now almost common structure of an electric motorcycle: The much smaller electric motor sits in place of a conventional, larger transmission. The battery and electronics take up the remaining space, which was created by the elimination of the large combustion engine and the tank above it. The prototype of the EV Endeavor also seems to have been built from parts of the Kawasaki Z400 and Z650 – whether this will remain the case for a possible later production model is still unclear.
It remains to be seen just how and with which power the battery can be charged. Kawasaki has also not yet given a date or a year for a possible sales start. In autumn last year, the Japanese company revealed that they had been working on the technology for many years, and indeed, on the video the vehicle itself seems to be very advanced. The fact that the electric motorbike now has a name increases the chances of series production enormously, but this has still not been confirmed by Kawasaki.
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