Kawasaki’s J concept morphs from all-electric three-wheeler to sport bike

By Stephen Edelstein November 20, 2013

Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, the Kawasaki J concept literally defies description. Is it a three-wheeler? Is it a high-performance sport bike? Either way, it looks pretty cool.

The Kawasaki J technically has three wheels, but in Sport Mode the two front wheels are pushed together, and the entire machine hunkers down to lower the center of gravity. In Comfort Mode, the stance is raised and the front wheels separate, giving the ride a more upright position that is, well, more comfortable.

Instead of handlebars, steering is accomplished with two levers, one attached to each of the front wheels. It’s a decidedly Steampunk mechanism, compared to the bike’s Cyberpunk styling.

In three-wheeled Comfort Mode, the J concept looks like a scooter used by mall cops in the futuristic Grid city from Tron. In maximum-attack Sport Mode, it looks completely otherworldly.

Powering the Kawasaki J is an electric motor hooked to a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack. The packaging advantages of an electric powertrain were probably needed to accomplish the J’s transformation stunt. Note that it doesn’t use the lithium-ion batteries that are found in most electric cars and plug-in hybrids.

The Kawasaki J looks awesome on the show stand, and it won’t be going anywhere else. Kawasaki has no plans to put it into production. That’s just as well; it’ll save owners from having to try to explain it to their neighbors.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Electric Mini conquers range anxiety with drive from Munich to Frankfurt

mini electric car drives from munich to 2019 frankfurt motor show 2020 cooper se

Most manufacturers bring new cars to an auto show on the back of a truck, but Mini wanted to make a point about range anxiety with its first all-electric model. So it drove one from Munich to the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2020 Mini Cooper SE made the 400-kilometer (248-mile) trip with just one stop to charge.

Munich was chosen as the starting point because it's the hometown of Mini parent BMW. It was also a reasonable distance from Frankfurt. Mini expects the Cooper SE to achieve a range of 235 kilometers to 270 kilometers (146 miles to 167 miles) on the European testing cycle. The car is equipped for DC fast charging, so enough range could be recovered from one short charging stop to complete the trip. Note that the car will likely get lower range ratings on the tougher United States testing cycle.

Cars

Hyundai Veloster N ETCR will compete in a new all-electric race series

hyundai electric race car 2019 frankfurt motor show veloster n etcr

Previous

Next

Cars

The first fully electric Lexus production car may not go after Tesla

lexus electric car rumors and reports lf sa concept

After a slow start, established luxury brands like Audi, Jaguar, and Porsche are launching sedans and SUVs that compete directly with the Tesla Model S and Model X. But Lexus may take a different approach with its first production electric car, according to Autocar. The magazine reports that the first all-electric Lexus may be a small hatchback designed for use in cities.

At the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, Lexus will unveil a "city-friendly" electric hatchback concept, which could take inspiration from 2015's LF-SA concept (pictured above), reports Autocar. Comments from Lexus chief engineer Koji Sato to the magazine indicate that this concept car could preview a future production model.