Suzuki Joining the Electric Revolution

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Patent drawings show that Suzuki has an electric Burgman-based scooter in the works. (Suzuki/)

Suzuki hasn’t been shy about showing electric concept bikes over the years, but there has been little to show of them in terms of actual production models. That looks about to change very soon as a battery-powered scooter has been spied testing several times, and the company has filed a barrage of patent applications relating to the design in Japan.

While Suzuki’s alternative-power concepts have ranged from the ambitious fuel-cell-powered Crosscage of 2007 to the adorable Extrigger minibike of 2013, much of the company’s real-world work on electric bikes has been focused on a series of Burgman scooters using hydrogen fuel-cell technology. Although these have been widely tested for more than a decade—and was type-approved for road use in the European Union as far back as 2011—hydrogen fuel cells still seem to be a long way from mass-production reality, and the lack of a convincing hydrogen fueling infrastructure means that even if they were widely available, most customers would struggle to fill them.

So, for its latest project, Suzuki is turning to more conventional battery-operated technology. The company’s electric scooter isn’t radical by any means and uses its existing Burgman 125 as its basis. The prototype has been spotted on tests several times in India, with the earliest appearance as far back as 2020. Why India? That’s where the Burgman 125 is manufactured, and also a suitably tough testing ground for electric technology. Recent reports in India say that the scooter’s development program has been slowed by India’s high temperatures, which make a harsh environment for the electrical system.

The patents, published in Japan, show that under the skin the bike has a conventional steel frame, similar to that of the Burgman 125 it shares its bodywork with. However, where the gas-powered model has the usual arrangement of an engine and transmission built into the swingarm, leaving the central section of the bike clear for luggage space and the fuel tank, the electric version uses a much more motorcycle-style layout with a chain-driven rear wheel and the motor mounted in the chassis.

The AC motor (43) takes power off of a DC-to-AC inverter, while a DC-to-DC converter (42) steps down power to the required level. (Suzuki/)

It’s an AC motor, fitted relatively far forward in the frame, just at the base of the seat section of the bike. A DC-AC inverter sits under the rider’s feet to convert the battery’s DC output to AC for the motor, and a DC-DC converter is mounted on the side of the battery pack to step the voltage down.

Given that Honda and Yamaha have both opted for removable, swappable batteries in some of their latest small electric scooters, and the fact that all four Japanese brands have agreed on a common standard for such batteries, it’s surprising to see that the Suzuki design features a fixed battery. It’s mounted inside a two-piece case that almost entirely fills the underseat area that you’d expect to be used for storage, and while the patents don’t specify its capacity, the sheer size suggests the bike could have more range than removable-battery rivals. The downside, of course, is that once the battery is spent it will need to be recharged rather than swapped for a fresh one.

With Kawasaki set to launch more electric bikes later this year, following on from the Elektrode balance bike revealed earlier this month, and both Honda and Yamaha already offering electric models in at least some of their markets, not to mention the likes of Piaggio and BMW which are also already established in the field, Suzuki is definitely playing catch-up.

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