Comments on: Hybrid Motorcycles are not necessary – part 2

By: james gatward

james gatward — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:21:33 +0000

The published figures for hybred cars tend to be extremely in accurate. owners of the prius tend to get fuel consumption of between 30 and 40 mpg which is not that impressive at all!

the electric motors can oly be used for low power requirements such as 5 mph queues.

By: Hugo

Hugo — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:49:13 +0000

For my thesis I did a project for a fuel-efficient sporty motorcycle. I calculated that it was possible to have the same performance as a Suzuki SV650 while using 1 liter of fuel every 100km (or 235pmg!!). The interesting thing about a hybrid is you can tune the combustion engine for power/efficieny while the small electric engines deliver the torque, like easy says. So in theory a modern 4-cilinder engine combined with the torque of a big twin (electrical engines produce torque from 0 rpm). The electric engines can be small in size and power (say two times 8hp) and are relatively cheap. Batteries can be small because of the low power required by the electric engine. The hybrid system I used for the concept on paper was a Swedish invention:
http://www.powertrain.se/
Because of the low fuel consumption you don’t need a big fueltank meaning it can be placed easier under, for instance, the drivers seat

By: easy

easy — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:37:26 +0000

to me it seems like the right way to go
Hydrogen isn’t powerfull enough to push a touring bke and storing it can be a real hazard.
gassoline-electric hybrids have many advantages…
1. it can accelerate faster into the rpm’s range where the ice is more efficient
2. electric engines can deliver their full power from stand-still so we could use them to negociate hevy traffic
3. you coud gat into no-emission zones in cityes around Europe using the electric engine alone

By: Dudel

Dudel — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 22:52:41 +0000

My girfriend wants a SCOOTER but wants to wait untill Honda’s Hybrid Scooter is available. One would expect a girl who pays extra for organic fruit and cage-free brown eggs to purchase a cute hybrid-scooter.

Honda Develops Hybrid Scooter Prototype
http://world.honda.com/news/2004/2040824_02.html

By: gshepherd

gshepherd — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:36:13 +0000

I’m into alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles for a number of reasons beyond it being a “green” choice. The technology is fascinating, the driving experience is often unique, and voting with my dollars encourages, in a small way, the manufacturers to continue pursuing the technology.

Motorcycles and race cars are often high-performance platforms for pushing technologies on a small scale. As these new technologies are proven on the track, they eventually filter down to every day vehicles. Even the first production hybrid cars, like the Honda Insight, were more of a proof of concept and bragging rights (70 MPG is nice in a spunky little aluminum two-seater). As volume production increases, all the parts become less expensive: batteries, controllers, motors. Real world experience leads to improvements in hardware and software design.

I would envision a hybrid bike using something like Honda’s IMA design. Use a smaller displacement engine for steady-state efficiency and supplement it with a torquey BLDC electric motor. Use the motor for enhanced acceleration, recapture some energy with regenerative braking, and possibly implement idle-stop which can help keep the catalyst warm during brief stops. The BLDC motor can also smooth out power pulses from the engine and eliminates the starter and alternator. Advanced Li-Ion batteries provide your energy storage. A DC/DC switching power supply provides a perfectly smooth 12V DC system for accessories and lighting that doesn’t pulse or fade. Add a 120VAC inverter and you have a handy “generator” for campsite use.

I agree that hybrid bikes won’t make a measurable dent in our national fossil fuel consumption, but they can provide real world experience to manufacturers and riders. The riding experience might be quite enjoyable, a little smoother/quieter, and offer some interesting tech to talk up with your friends. I say, why not?