Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX Hydrogen-ICE Bike Prototype Showcased: World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Bike

Quick Highlights

• World’s first hydrogen-ICE bike made its public debut at the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race

• It used Hydrogen as ICE fuel, not as a fuel-cell for an electric motor

• The bike is slated to be launched by 2030

After the launch of the world’s first CNG bike, meet the world’s first hydrogen-ICE (internal combustion engine) bike and this one is from Kawasaki. It’s based on the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX, and uses hydrogen as an internal combustion fuel. 

So far, we have commonly seen hydrogen fuel cell powered electric cars. In this H2 SX, Kawasaki has retained the supercharged 999cc inline-four engine with some tweaks to combust hydrogen. It now has direct injection which sends hydrogen into the combustion chamber after the intake valves are closed. This is because hydrogen can expand rapidly, and if injected with air, can push air out of the fuelling system. Since this is just a prototype still, Kawasaki hasn’t yet put out any performance figures, but for reference, the standard Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX makes 200PS and 137Nm. 

Those two “panniers” you see at the back are the hydrogen storage tanks. But the way hydrogen is, those shouldn’t be as heavy as they look, even when filled. Kawasaki says they have also made tweaks to the chassis to accommodate the new fuelling system. Just like a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, this too emits water or water vapour, but at the same time, comes with the complete joy of riding an ICE bike, replete with the supercharger chirps. However, there can be traces of NOx and CO2 since it has an ICE, but comparatively lower than that of a petrol-combustion motorcycle.

Kawasaki says this hydrogen-combustion bike could be production ready by 2030. If so, this should be a more eco-friendly way of still enjoying our beloved bikes if and when petrol-combustion vehicles are ever banned in the world.