Why Kawasaki Wants Hydrogen To Work

Kawasaki

Electric motorcycles are now available globally, but the trend has not exactly caught on. In an industry dominated by enthusiasts after an experience as much as a mode of transport, the “electric experience” falls short in many respects.

Kawasaki, who also offer both electric and hybrid motorcycles, have recognized this fact and aim to capture the imagination of ICE enthusiasts with their hydrogen powered motorcycle. While hydrogen has long since been touted as an alternative energy source – often pitted against electricity in a bid to somehow create a rivalry – these green energy players need each other more than ever today. Neither solution offers a silver bullet, but with both options on the table we have a way to offer something for everyone, including ICE fans unable to gel with the “electric experience.”

An H2 Sipping H2

It actually makes a degree of sense that Kawasaki is the first, and currently, only company, to have a go at making a hydrogen powered motorcycle. They are also the only company who has a production motorcycle featuring forced induction.

Hydrogen requires a lot of air for it to work in an ICE application, and the best way to cram more air in the combustion chamber is through a turbo or supercharger. The Ninja H2 engine is arguably the only realistic candidate for this kind of experiment, and it still is, largely, just an experiment. One look at their test mule HySE only serves to underline all the latent issues with hydrogen as a means of propulsion. While the gas itself weighs next to nothing, the means of safe storage and all the paraphernalia required for such a vehicle to be equipped with makes the already sizable Ninja H2 platform look even more bulky.

One thing that still remains a pretty closely guarded secret is the actual power figures and range. While it is unlikely the HySE will make anywhere near as much power as the H2, it will be much more interesting to know exactly how far one can actually ride on a full tank.

Safety Concerns

Kawasaki

While there will always be a degree of concern that any accident might result in an “event,” the more obvious concern is the matter of safe transfer. Any country that currently allows self-service will need to rethink their HR strategy.

While we are all used to dealing with flammable liquid, handling an explosive gas requires a certain level of expertise. Just like natural gas, it has no natural odor, so small leaks could go undetected, and at such high pressure even a small leak could be disastrous. Natural gas producers resolved to add a smell to the gas, but the same procedure will be decidedly more complex for hydrogen. Adding anything at all will have an effect on its purity, which is critical for its already rather poor efficiency to stay at a tolerable level.

There is no question that hydrogen has a seat at the clean energy table, but making a motorcycle powered by hydrogen just seems like a marketing gimmick.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Kawasaki

At the end of the day, it is highly unlikely that a motorcycle like this will ever make it into production. But, that was never really its main objective.

Kawasaki has spread their net really wide in the last couple years, already offering both electric and hybrid motorcycles in several markets, but the one that has always grabbed the headlines for them has been this crazy hydrogen concept. Although it is wildly impractical, what it has done is brought hydrogen back into the conversation. Applying all their learnings to a small car will be one very realistic outcome of this project, while the other ongoing experiment with leisure vehicles is another viable end product.

While Kawasaki is known globally as a motorcycle brand, Kawasaki Heavy Industries has a whole lot more going on, and one of their many energy related projects is creating, you guessed it: a hydrogen infrastructure. So it comes as no surprise that they want hydrogen very much in the spotlight as much of the time as possible, especially while their local economy remains in a rather tenuous state. Kawasaki needs hydrogen to work, they are now heavily invested in it and if, for whatever reason, the global demand for it is not as high as they estimated it to be, it could spell disaster for the entire company.