Kawasaki is finally producing an electric motorbike and it’s, um, an electric balance bike. The Elektrode is aimed at children between the ages of three and eight.
Kawasaki’s stated aim is for all the bikes it produces in developed markets to be either electric or hybrids by 2035.
That’s not an especially ambitious goal, although the firm has promised to launch “more than 10″ electric or hybrid bikes by 2025.
However all we’ve really had so far is a 2019 prototype.
At least until now. Does the $1,099 Elektrode qualify as one of the 10?
The bike is very obviously styled to look like a motorbike and given that there’s a motor, that’s what it is really.
The 250W rear hub motor that is said to provide power “in a mild, predictable way” – an unusual but necessary selling point for a bike that is being sold for young children.
Control is via a twist throttle and there are three power modes, Low, Medium and High, which are capped at 5mph, 7.5mph and 13mph respectively. The bike can be locked to one of the lower levels.
The 188Wh battery offers 150+ minutes of riding. You also get mechanical disc brakes, 16” wheels and knobbly tyres. Total weight is a not inconsiderable 14.5kg.
While it represents new territory for Kawasaki, the Elektrode isn’t particularly breaking new ground in itself.
The bike’s reminiscent of KTM’s "race-injected" electric balance bike which we reported on in January.
We’ve also seen a bunch of other electric balance bikes, such as the 100W IndyBikes Electric Balance Bike for 3-to-6-year-olds and the 250W Mondraker Grommy for ages 3-8.
