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REPORT
In an " Outdoor Recreation Meets Gaming " move , Polaris is to give gamers virtual off-road vehicle experience through a partnership with Battlefield 2042 . Fans will be able to operate a Polaris Sportsman within EA ' s latest game and enter a giveaway featuring a custom Polaris Sportsman ATV grand prize . The deal makes Polaris the Official Off-Road Vehicle Partner of Battlefield 2042 .
Michelin has won a unanimous defence verdict in a $ 66m motorcycle tyre lawsuit in South Carolina . A jury ruled unanimously in favour of Michelin North America , Inc ., in a high-profile product liability case involving a 2017 motorcycle accident . The crash resulted in catastrophic injuries to both occupants , including the driver who sustained permanent paralysis . Plaintiffs alleged that the motorcycle tyre was defectively manufactured . Michelin stated that " while we sincerely regret this tragic accident and the devastating effects it has had on the family , the evidence presented throughout the eight-day trial showed that the accident resulted from severe under-inflation and improper maintenance of the Michelin tyre , not a manufacturing defect ".
KTM has marked progress of an all-new $ 50m North American Group Headquarters with an event at its site at Murrieta , CA . KTM gave guests a first look at the project ' s 150,000 sq ft ( 15k sq m ) plans that include amenities for over 300 employees . The three-building campus is set to include corporate offices , stateof-the-art technical and warehouse spaces and racing departments for all three brands .
The Bureau of Economic Analysis ( BEA ) released 2020 data detailing how outdoor recreation continues to generate billions in economic output and create millions of American jobs . When it came to adding economic value , motorcycle and ATV riding came in fourth largest among the most popular outdoor activities in the United States .
Polaris has launched an all-new , all-electric Ranger XP Kinetic UTV . An entirely new , quiet electric powertrain has been derived from Polaris ' partnership with Zero Motorcycles - featuring fewer moving parts for lower maintenance costs and more uptime for increased productivity . It is a 3-seater with the Premium model equipped with 14.9 kWh of lithium-ion battery capacity , offering an estimated range of up to 45 miles .
With climate change making headlines across the globe , Kawasaki is the first major Japanese motorcycle company to make a definitive commitment to a zero-emissions future - making the bold promise to electrify its entire range , in developed countries , by 2035 . It ' s an ambitious plan from a company that ' s yet to put a single electric model into showrooms , but it fits with wider intentions across Kawasaki Heavy Industries to clean up emissions on everything from shipping to aircraft . Having revealed a tentative prototype electric bike back in 2019 , Kawasaki used the announcement in Tokyo to present a hybrid development machine . Although the company didn ' t reveal specifications , it appears to use the parallel twin engine from the Ninja 400 allied to an electric motor mounted above the transmission - which remains a conventional manual , albeit with electronically-activated shifts via bar-mounted buttons . A small but powerful 48 volt battery pack , mounted under the rider ' s seat , powers the electric motor , which also doubles as a generator to replenish the battery while the bike is running on its petrol engine . A second , 12V battery operates the other electrical systems conventionally . The hybrid system features an array of automated clutches that allow either the petrol engine , the electric motor or both to be connected to the transmission . In normal riding , outside towns , the idea is to use the petrol engine - remember , bikes are already a relatively green form of transport - while regenerating power for the battery while braking and coasting . Come into a city centre and the petrol engine is turned off altogether , with Kawasaki suggesting that geofencing technology could be used to automatically switch to all-electric mode whenever you come into a zeroemissions zone . Finally , both the petrol engine and electric motor can be used together to give extra acceleration and power . Kawasaki has previously patented barmounted controls for precisely this use , incorporating a ' boost ' button on the throttle grip , operated by the right thumb , to engage the electric assistance . The hybrid prototype is just the start , though . Kawasaki ' s development schedule for electric bikes is incredibly ambitious , with the company saying it will have more than 10 all-electric or hybrid production bikes in showrooms by 2025 , with an average of 16 new models of all types to be unveiled every year by then . It ' s not just street bikes either , as there are also plans for electric and hybrid off-roaders and quads . However , it ' s still not the end of the road for the combustion engine , at least as far as Kawasaki is concerned . The company is developing a hydrogen-fuelled , supercharged , four-cylinder engine - based on the H2 superbike ' s design - as a virtually emissions-free way to keep current technologies alive . Although not totally zero-emissions , as a hydrogenfuelled engine it will still emit some NO x , most of the exhaust would be
THE BRADLEY REPORT
Kawasaki ' s vision of the future - hybrids , electric bikes and hydrogen fuel
By Ben Purvis
Hybrid simply water vapour . The supercharged H2 engine already gives Kawasaki a head-start , as forced-induction is vital to making an efficient hydrogenfuelled combustion engine . As a development step towards the design , Kawasaki has revealed a dualinjected version of the H2 ' s engine , with direct fuel injection straight into the cylinders as well as conventional port injection . The DI system on the prototype still uses petrol , fired into the cylinders and 1,450 psi ( compared to 44 psi for the normal port injection system ), using a mechanical pump , driven from the camshafts , to achieve it . As well as showing the prototype engine , Kawasaki revealed a concept sketch of a futuristic , hydrogen-fuelled sports-tourer , clearly derived from the existing Ninja H2 SX . Far from being drab , Kawasaki ' s vision of a lowemissions future looks like one to look forward to .
Hydrogen direct injection
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