Kawasaki showed up for a public demonstration during the Suzuki 8 Hours, which is an endurance race, with a Kawasaki hydrogen prototype. It looks bonkers. The bike uses the Ninja H2’s 998cc inline-four-cylinder engine, but it runs on hydrogen.
Kawasaki Hydrogen Prototype Could Be the Future
I wrote about this motorcycle back when some images were revealed, and this is the public reveal of that bike.
The motorcycle features what look like two large saddlebags. These containers are actually hydrogen fuel canisters. Each one can be filled separately.
The bike works and its an impressive achievement, but Kawasaki points out that hydrogen burns faster and is not as dense. This means it’s more difficult to store, hence the two large tanks. It’s also lighter than gasoline, so you can put the tanks really anywhere on the bike without messing up weight distribution too much.
This is not a commercial product, but it does hint at an alternative to both gasoline engines and battery electrics. Could the future be hydrogen-focused? It appears possible, but time will tell if this design gains enough traction and interest to warrant Kawasaki making a commercial motorcycle that runs on hydrogen.
Source: Motorcycle.com
