At the 60th Le Mans 24 Hours Endurance Road Race (Motorcycle Division) held on April 19-20, 2025, Kawasaki led the race for a long time with the Ninja ZX-10RR, and ultimately won a place on the podium. In addition, behind the scenes, a demonstration run of a hydrogen motorcycle equipped with an engine being developed in the hydrogen engine project "HySE," which can be said to be the "driving technology of the future," was also held. This will be the second time that the running scene of this motorcycle has been made public since last year's "Suzuka 8 Hours."
Hydrogen-powered "H2H2" leaves the pits and goes on a demo lap - attracting the attention of the large Le Mans crowd
HySE is a research and development project by Kawasaki in the Hydrogen Small Mobility & Engine Technology Association. A prototype vehicle based on the company's supercharged Ninja H2 SX was unveiled in the winter of 2023, which caused quite a stir. It was shown running on a circuit at the Suzuka 8 Hours in July of last year. The HySE is equipped with dedicated hydrogen tanks on the left and right rear of the vehicle and is powered only by hydrogen. Emissions are limited to very small amounts of water vapor, making it a "zero-emission" motorcycle that can be driven in the wild. Kawasaki is currently developing it with the aim of releasing it around 2030. The name of the vehicle is also called "H2H2", a play on the base H2 and hydrogen.
The "H2H2" equipped with the HySE is a hydrogen bike based on the Ninja H2 SX.
The car's driving footage was made public for the second time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Currently, it can run for about an hour, and development is underway with the aim of around 2030.
At the recent EWC Le Mans 24 Hours Endurance Race held in Le Mans, France, Kawasaki brought the HySE H2H2 to the Le Mans venue upon official invitation from the organizer ASO (which also oversees the Tour de France). Test rider Matthias Höpner began his ride from the pit lane 15 minutes before the start of the race. He performed a demonstration run of one lap around the approximately 4.13km course, attracting attention through TV broadcasts around the world.
Höpner commented, "Every time I ride a hydrogen motorcycle, I feel like I'm touching the future. It was very meaningful that so many spectators were able to see a real working 'hydrogen motorcycle.'"
ASO has its sights set on a hydrogen and EV endurance race. The arrival of future mobility powered by hydrogen engines, which will also be featured at the World Expo, is not far off.
The HySE exhibit and H2H2 run are part of ASO's long-term "H24" strategy, a plan to hold a 24-hour endurance race using hydrogen and electric vehicles, and are highly regarded as a demonstration of the possibilities in the motorcycle field. Kawasaki currently develops not only gasoline engine models, but also electric motorcycles, hybrid motorcycles, and hydrogen research machines, and is the only domestic motorcycle manufacturer currently developing a hydrogen engine that can be actually driven. An exhibition booth was set up at the Le Mans venue for general visitors, where explanations of the HySE and current models were exhibited. In addition, hydrogen trains and hydrogen generators for children were also exhibited at the venue, emphasizing the "green" direction of the event as a whole.
In Japan, at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which opened in pre-opening the other day, Kawasaki is exhibiting a mobility vehicle that can travel on land, sea, and air with zero emissions, centered on the hydrogen engine-equipped power unit "O'CUVOID". In addition, the four-legged animal-shaped "CORLEO", which also uses a hydrogen engine, is also attracting attention. These concepts are called "Transportation systems in 2050," and while it is expected to take nearly 30 years to realize them, this demonstration run of the H2H2 equipped with the "HySE" has made the near future in which hydrogen engines play a key role feel real. We look forward to further reports on their practical application.
The H2H2 still has a large tank and looks unchanged from when it debuted at Suzuka last year.
The Occupoid hydrogen engine power unit is being exhibited by Kawasaki Heavy Industries at the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Furthermore, a hydrogen-powered four-legged mobility vehicle called "Corleo" has also been introduced. Development is proceeding with the aim of maximizing the use of hydrogen.
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