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Originally Posted by InvisiBill
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Yeah, the link continues working as an archive after the livestream ended but I expect they will trim the fat eventually (YouTube does have tools for that). Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by InvisiBill
My guess is that the "gas tank" will open up and the battery will lift out. If so, it seems like the Z and Ninja wouldn't be too different there.
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Yeah, the braces at the top do appear to double as handles.
The early prototypes were shown with a 2018+ Ninja 250/400 frame which they now seem to have modified so that the Z EV battery can hang out the bottom. The Ninja EV is presumably the fully-faired version of the same bike. It’s possible that it comes out through the top or both ways but it’s heavy and already hanging so far out the bottom it seems counter-intuitive for the Z EV. I wish it could split between the two layers of cells for easier handling as two packs.
It’d be great to have more specifics but I don’t expect the “quick” change to be for convenience purposes… like having a second battery for extending range or reducing/distributing battery wear. It’s probably more for maintenance, recycling, salvage/recovery, or replacement… in which case the fairings will be largely irrelevant since they already have to come off for most major services.
They are still calling these “prototypes” with barely any new info so it’s hard to get excited yet. I expected to hear things like range, prices, performance numbers, and a launch date by now, and it’s hard to get excited without knowing some of those important details. If it’s going to cost $10k I’ll just get an eBike and a traditional motorcycle. Any cagers who would be attracted to it as a value-option EV would be better served with a used Chevy Bolt EV. That’s just the market reality so I really hope they aim to undercut that price.