Kawasaki Ninja e-1, Z e-1 unveiled

Kawasaki had revealed the fully electric Ninja e-1 and Z e-1 at EICMA 2022 but most of the powertrain details were under wraps back then. Now the company has revealed the specs of these two entry-level e-bikes and they’re on par with some of the sporty e-scooters sold in India. 

Kawasaki Ninja e-1, Z e-1 powertrain details
Both bikes are powered by two removable lithium-ion battery packs, each with a capacity of 1.5kWh. Charging time for each pack is a rather slow 3.7hrs, which means total charging time is 7.4hrs. You can, however, charge both individually with separate chargers. 

The battery packs send power to a motor that makes 9kW of peak power and 5kW continuous power. In the top Road riding mode, the Ninja e-1 has a claimed top speed of ‘approximately 52mph’ (84kph), while the Z e-1’s is slightly lower at ‘approximately 49mph’ (79kph). In the lower Eco mode, top speed stands at ‘approximately 37mph’ (60 kph) and ‘approximately 35mph’ (56kph), for the Ninja and Z, respectively. 

There is also an e-boost function which gives you a little extra juice in situations like executing a quick overtake, and is active for 15 seconds at a time. This boosts top speed of the Ninja to ‘approximately 65mph’ (105kph) in Road mode and ‘approximately 45mph’ (72kph) in Eco mode. For the Z, the top speed rises to ‘approximately 65mph’ (105kph) in Road mode and ‘approximately 42mph’ (68kph) in Eco mode. 

Once the SOC drops below 35 percent, the bikes will automatically switch to Eco mode and you can’t use the e-boost function. 

Kawasaki Ninja e-1, Z e-1 chassis, cycle parts
Much like the ICE Ninja 400 & Z400 that these bikes share some of their componentry with, the Ninja e-1 and Z e-1 are based on the same platform, with different body styles. The battery packs are nestled within a tubular steel frame that's suspended by a 41mm telescopic fork and monoshock setup. 

Braking duties are handled by a 290mm disc up front and a 220mm disc at the rear, and dual-channel ABS is standard on both. Tyre sizes are 100/80-17 (front) and 130/70-17 (rear) and both have a very accessible seat height of 790mm. The fully-faired Ninja e-1 weighs 140kg, while the naked Z e-1 weighs 135kg.

Kawasaki Ninja e-1, Z e-1 features
The set of features remains the same on both with a colour TFT dash with Bluetooth connectivity enabling navigation and notification alerts. There’s also a Walk mode which allows you to move the bike forward or backwards at 3kph (like all e-scooters). Where the fuel tank would be on a petrol bike, these EVs have a small 5-litre storage cubby, similar to what we’ve seen on something like the Tork Kratos R. 

Kawasaki Ninja e-1, Z e-1 India launch
There is no official statement from Kawasaki indicating whether or not these bikes will make it to India. However, Kawasaki does tend to bring a lot of its big bike range to India and has recently even launched the unconventional (and extremely expensive) Ninja ZX-4R here. So there is a small possibility that the company might consider these bikes for India as well. However, that will depend heavily on how Kawasaki can manage the pricing.