Kawasaki reveals specs for electric Ninja and Z motorcycles, but they’re embarrassing
Kawasaki has officially announced several key specs for its upcoming electric motorcycles, as well as expected release dates. The only problem for these two highly anticipated models is that the new Kawasaki Ninja e-1 and Z e-1 aren’t going to knock anyone’s riding socks off.
We’ve already had a few hints regarding the entry-level performance of the two bikes thanks to classification documents that we reported on last month.
But now we’ve got the official numbers straight from Team Green, and they aren’t pretty.
The Kawasaki Ninja e-1 (faired sport bike) and the Z e-1 (naked bike) will both share the same 5 kW electric motor. That chain-driving motor is rated for 9 kW of peak power, but only in bursts.
It’s meant to crank out a top speed of up to 99 km/h (61 mph), though it’s not yet clear if that is the sustained speed or rather a burst speed.
Some electric motorcycles include a boost mode that allows riders to access the motor’s peak power for several seconds, often useful when overtaking a slower vehicle. Though at these top speeds, overtaking may not be an issue with which riders will need to concern themselves.
The bikes feature two removable batteries that can be charged either on-board or separately with a docking station, allowing street-level parkers to charge in their apartments or elsewhere away from the bike itself.
Kawasaki tellingly hasn’t revealed info about the battery capacity or range on a single charge, but neither are expected to be very high. Removable batteries limit the capacity to something that can be carried, which means no one should expect these to be long-distance batteries.
The largest removable batteries I’ve seen so far were in my NIU NQiGT Long Range, which had a couple 2.1 kWh batteries, each weighing around 12 kg (26.5 lb.). Carrying the pair up to my apartment was doable, but barely. So the Kawasaki Ninja e-1 or Z e-1 landing with much more than 4.2 kWh of battery capacity is not likely.
Kawasaki is also part of a battery consortium pushing for adoption of Honda’s swappable batteries to become an industry standard. It’s not clear if Kawasaki adopted Honda’s 1.475 kWh battery packs, but if it did, then we’d be looking at a bike with a meager 2.95 kWh of battery capacity. There are electric bicycles with that much battery.
For comparison, the SONDORS Metacycle electric motorcycle has a 4 kWh battery pack and despite advertising a range of between 60-80 miles (96-130 km), most owners have indicated that mixed riding nets closer to half of the claimed range.
So these are obviously very much commuter-level electric motorcycles, to say the least.
But don’t for a minute think these aren’t full-featured bikes. As the company explained itself, “Kawasaki Z e-1 and Ninja e-1 riders can also amaze their friends with a walk mode that allows these machines to maneuver at walking pace in both forward AND reverse – particularly useful for tight parking spots or moving backwards up an incline.” So sure, they don’t go very fast. But they can move… slowly!
To be fair, reverse is a useful feature on motorcycles, one that is easy to include on electrics but rarely seen on combustion engine motorcycles. But let’s not bend over backwards patting ourselves on the back when electric bicycles have the same features.
Both models are expected to debut in the UK next month, but the estimated price is as elusive as the battery specs. Kawasaki has remained mum on both, and so we’ll have to wait just a bit longer to find out how much the bikes will cost.
Electrek’s Take
I don’t mean to be overly harsh here, because the specs alone aren’t bad for a basic, simple commuter e-motorcycle. And the bikes look great, in true Ninja fashion.
The problem is that this is the Kawasaki Ninja we’re talking about here. It’s not a commuter motorcycle, or at least it wasn’t meant to be. Even the underpowered Ninja 125cc released a few years ago can hit nearly 75 mph (121 km/h), making it highway capable. But the Ninja e-1 sounds like it will struggle to slowly hit 60 mph (96 km/h), making it arguably dangerous to take on highways.
But again, these are obviously meant to be urban bikes, so maybe they will appeal to an urban crowd.
The real decider here though is going to be the price. Considering you can get truly highway-capable commuter e-motorcycles like the Ryvid Anthem and CSC RX1E for below US $8,000, the Kawasaki Ninja e-1 and Z e-1 will need to be considerably cheaper to achieve any market penetration. I mean, you can buy an electric scooter with similar specs for US $6K, for crying out loud.
What we’re looking at are basically SONDORS Metacycle-level specs, though at least from a company that has been around for longer and may continue to be around long after SONDORS.
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Volvo Penta will debut its latest modular and scalable battery energy storage system (BESS) platform for the off-grid construction and mining industries at the bauma equipment show – here’s what you can expect.
Best-known for its marine engines and gensets, Volvo Penta is the power production arm of the Volvo Group, specializing in putting energy to work. Operating under the tagline, ‘Made to Move You’, Volvo Penta is headed to bauma 2025 with a plan to keep construction, port shipping, and mining operations moving productively and competitively throughout their transitions to battery and (in theory, at least) hydrogen power.
To that end, the company will show off a job site ready version of the scalable and modular BESS subsystem concept shown last year.
Volvo says its new, modular BESS subsystem will enable other OEMs and third party system integrators to seamlessly deploy electric power to meet the ever-exceeding energy needs in construction and mining.
“Our modular and scalable battery-electric platform is designed to support the electrification ecosystem—combining high-performance drivelines with the crucial energy storage subsystems for efficient charging and operation in construction and mining,” says Hannes Norrgren, President of Volvo Penta Industrial. “We want to meaningfully collaborate with our customers on value-added customization that will enable them to stay productive, efficient, and future-ready.”
The Penta substation at bauma will be built around the company’s “Cube” battery pack, an energy-dense solution with a favorable C-rate designed to make it easy for BESS manufacturers to offer more compact job site solutions capable of charging and discharging energy with high levels of speed and efficiency, enabling both stationary and mobile BESS configurations that can change and grow to meet the evolving needs of a given asset fleet or project.
A Volvo Penta-developed DC/DC unit converts the voltage from the Cube battery packs (600 V) into lower voltage (24 V) for powering auxiliaries and portable offices.
Electrek’s Take
Volvo Penta has always provided power. Historically that’s been from combustion, but the company is looking ahead, developing products that will bring energy to job sites, tractors, and more long after the last ICE engine shuts down.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo Penta.
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Just days after Rivian announced that it would be making its iconic electric delivery vans available to anyone willing to pay for one, the company launched the new Rivian Upfit Program, offering a “one-stop shop” to help fleet managers put its EVs to work.
Launched in partnership with commercial vehicle heavyweights Ranger Design, Sortimo of North America, Bush Specialty Vehicles, Holman, LEGEND, and EV Sportline, the Rivian Upfit Program helps fleet buyers make the switch to electric by simplifying the ordering process and delivering an experience that more closely reflects the experience fleet managers get at dealerships.
Despite partnering with leading brands and launching into a well-establish market, however, the program’s web page seems largely aimed at people outside the space – even kicking off with an explanation of what upfitting is:
Upfitting is the process of customizing a vehicle in order to meet fleet, business, or individual consumer needs to tackle the job at hand. This work is done after the vehicle has been built and released from the factory, and can include everything from shelving modifications, flooring options, to sirens and flashers and much more.
The program was announced on LinkedIn with a number of photos indicating upfit options for Rivian’s R1T and R1S vehicles focused on lifeguard and roadside assistance duty, and Rivian’s van upfit with a HVAC/telecom style toolbox arrangement.
No word on pricing or turnaround time.
Electrek’s Take
The general consensus around the Electrek water cooler is that the direct-to-consumer model offered by Rivian, Tesla, and even CarMax deliver a superior customer experience, I’ve consistently drunk the franchise dealer Kool-Aid, arguing that the industry-leading margins enjoyed by these companies actually indicate they’re giving consumers an objectively worse deal than they’d get in a more competitive dealer landscape.
That same competitiveness has led to talented fleet managers at those franchise dealers putting in the effort to get to know the needs of the businesses and buyers in their regions, to understand what upfit options makes sense for their local markets, and – crucially – what to stock for quick turnaround when their customers need it.
Rivian is hoping its upfit partners will do a lot of that heavy lifting for them, but my two cents is that if building cars is hard, building relationships is harder, and Rivian isn’t going to make a good first impression by talking down to its customers. If you think differently, let me know how I got it wrong in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Rivian, via LinkedIn.
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For 2025, the Ram ProMaster EV commercial van gets up to 180 miles range from its 110 kWh battery pack, new 12- and 13-foot cargo configurations to meet more fleets’ needs, and a starting price of “just” $56,495. All of which sounds … kind of familiar, right?
When Ram rolled out its ProMaster EV electric cargo van last year, the company promised a huge range of customizable features, 12- and 13- configurations, a “super high roof” variant, and more – even touting a heated windshield. Which is almost exactly what you’ll find hyped up in the latest Stellantis press release for the “All-new 2025 Ram ProMaster EV Cargo Van.”
So, if it’s basically the same van, what’s the story here?
Glad you asked – see, the 2024 announcement for the ProMaster EV made lots of promises, but anecdotal conversations revealed that the vast majority of ProMaster EVs that made it customers last year were the step van version, with its “pocket” side door and roll-up rear door.
That makes sense, considering that’s how Stellantis’ prime customers for the Ram ProMaster EV, Merchants Fleet …
The Ram Truck brand has announced that Merchants Fleet will become a key commercial customer of the all-new Ram ProMaster electric van (EV) that debuts later this year. The agreement calls for the purchase of 12,500 Ram ProMaster EVs.
STELLANTIS; JUN2023.
… and Amazon …
Stellantis, with input from Amazon, designed the vehicle with unique last mile delivery features and Amazon will deploy the vehicles to routes across the United States. Building on the current relationship and as part of the long-term agreement, Stellantis and Amazon will be putting thousands of BEV ProMasters on the road every year.
STELLANTIS; JAN2022.
Spec’ed them out.
Co-developed with Amazon
The story here, then, is that the conventional cargo variants (sliding van door, split-opening rear doors, etc.) are finally available for smaller fleets and van-lifers to order, production capacity apparently having caught up to demand. It’s that van, when ordered in a 12-foot cargo/low roof spec, that pushes that range estimate up to 180 miles. The high-roof version gets a claimed 164 miles of range.
“Our freedom of choice approach with powertrain extends to the Ram Professional lineup with an appropriate solution for last-mile delivery in the Ram ProMaster EV,” says Tim Kuniskis, Ram brand CEO. “With front-wheel drive and a low step-in height, the ProMaster is a solid player and continues to perform well in a wide variety of business sectors, such as the growing home delivery environment, construction services wholesale and IT services among others.”
For 2025, Stellantis has “repositioned” the ProMaster EV step van with a new, lower starting price to match its improved availability. The van can now be had for $69,995 plus $1,995 destination fee. That’s down significantly from the $79,990 starting price for 2024 – proving once again that old adage: good things come to those who wait.
For that money, you get the “All-new” Ram that’s so All-new, in fact, that Stellantis issued almost the exact same press photos they used at the 2024 launch. The order books for the 2025 ProMaster EV officially opened last week.
Electrek’s Take
Commercial vans for regional fleets are a no-brainer. Why? Because fleet managers are focused on the bottom line costs of operating their fleets – and, regardless of their political leanings, EVs cost less to own and operate than comparable ICE models. Until that fact changes, converting whatever assets to they can to electric will remain a priority.
If the “All-new” 2025 model is so similar, the specs so close, the photos so indistinguishable from the 2024 model that it takes your humble author nearly a week to figure if there’s even a story here at all hardly matters for a $10,000 price cut.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Stellantis.
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