Hybrid Motorcycles

Remember watching Vin Diesel in the sci-fi Babylon A.D.? If you do, I pity the plight you had to sit through for it was a pile of steaming and smelly goo. But there was a motorcycle in it amongst other custom vehicles which ended up in a crash, and it was nothing but a 1999 Yamaha R1 made by Frenchman, Ludovic Lazareth.

The same madman has now delivered the limited edition LMV 496 La Moto Volante, which translates to “The Flying Motorcycle.” Defying all odds, including gravity, this Jet powered machine is an updated artistry from yet another mind-bending machine – the LM-847, a tilting four-wheeler built around a fire-breathing 470-horsepower Maserati engine.

Prior to 2013, the PCX came with a 125 cc engine and a 1.6-gallon fuel tank in the US. With a make-over in 2013, the PCX125 gave way to the PCX150 and a new chapter in the globally produced Honda scooter was launched. Since then, the scooter has received periodical updates to keep things fresh in the segment.

Now, Honda Japan is launching a new PCX carrying the same old 125cc mill but this time, they have a new trick up its sleeve. Launching a couple of months from now, the new PCX 125 will carry a hybrid powertrain. Doing so, Honda Motor will become the first manufacturer to launch a production hybrid scooter and it was first showcased at the previous Tokyo Auto Show.

India’s third largest two-wheeler manufacturer, TVS Motors, is having a ball back home in India. It might not be a world player yet, but don’t fool yourself from having your doubts about it. It is the same firm that BMW Motorrad tied up with to make their G 310R, and those bikes are selling like hot cakes everywhere. Then came the Apache RR 310 fully-faired sportsbike that carries over the powertrain, suspension unit, chassis, brakes, radials and the exhaust from the entry-level naked German.

For a company whose strength lies in its goal of designing and development of new products that are a continuous source of inspiration, it showcased its future products at the recently concluded Indian Auto Expo. It was the TVS Zeppelin hybrid gas-electric cruiser concept that made all the noise at the TVS stalls. It not only sounds interesting (just like the band) but also looks like a proper well-made motorcycle.

No, I haven’t spelled it wrong. It is called as ’Electtrica’ with two ’t’s.

Although Piaggio took its own time to offer an electric vehicle, it is late by no means. Unveiled at the EICMA last week, the Electtrica is the electric version of Vespa’s Primavera scooter with a lithium-ion battery and a 4kW motor that is guaranteed to get you 62 miles on a single charge.

There is no denial in the fact that people will eventually stop filling their vehicles with liquefied dinosaurs and shift to electric. Not because they’ll like it but because there won’t be an option in the future.

So automotive manufacturers have already begun the race to be at the top when that happens, and have kept their workforce busy in spinning out vehicles for that future.

Honda, with a fanbase of 28 million customers all around the world, is just doing that and have showcased their take on this challenge at the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show which includes the Honda PCX Electric, the Honda PCX Hybrid and the Honda Riding Assist-e.

Honda has always been at the forefront of technology and is a major player in the world of artificial intelligence, robotics and big data. Now fresh new information has cropped up suggesting that the Japanese Red is getting serious about developing electric vehicles and so is being busy partnering with another technocrat, Hitachi Automotive Systems.

As a matter of fact, both these companies had signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this year in February and they have escalated those talks by signing in for a joint venture partnership in March. They have christened the JV as Hitachi Automotive Electric Motor Systems, and it will be heeding to develop, manufacture and sales of motors for electric vehicles, both for Honda and other players.

Just the mention of certain countries makes me immediately think of motorcycles. Japan, Germany and Italy are right at the top of the column, but I might have to add France to that list as well. Furion Motorcycles, under the guidance of designer Marc Evenisse, and four-time World Supermoto Champion and consultant Adrien Chareyre, has drawn on cutting-edge technology and construction techniques for this little experiment, and the results are encouraging. Propulsion duties fall to the hybrid drive that combines a dual-rotor, 654 cc Wankel rotary engine (y’all remember Wankel, right?) cranking out 125 horsepower to power a Sterling generator that charges the five lithium batteries and drives the 40 kW electric motor. End result; a bike that weighs 418 pounds that can produce a combined 180 horsepower with a ball-crushing 155 pound-feet of torque.

Continue reading for more on the Furion M1.

Many consider that electricity holds the key for the future of cars and motorcycles. And there is no wonder why, since the electric technologies offer a lot of advantages, the biggest one being that they are more efficient than any type of combustion engine.

The Frog eBike is one of the newest electric concepts and besides its efficiency is also fully recyclable. The concept was penned by Jin Soek Hwang and features a futuristic design language. Unfortunately we don’t have any engine specifications so we don’t know if the bike is as capable as its sporty design suggests.

Though, we know that the Frog eBike is equipped with monoshock suspension for the rear wheel and comes with a unique digital cluster. We also know that the electric motor is placed in the back tire while, the battery pack is placed beneath the chassis.

The Frog eBike Concept draws inspiration from the Yamaha FZ750 and has been displayed in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Yamaha is working on its first electric bike and has already revealed the first details. The new model has the potential to raise the standards of e-bikes higher than ever as it could be the first one that shows how stability and efficiency can be joined together in one motorcycle.

The new Yamaha EC-Miu Electric Concept uses two wheels in the back and one wheel on the front, so we can expect to perfect balance and stability. The company says that the concept was designed especially for women and puts safety and ergonomics on the first place.

The Yamaha EC-Miu Electric Concept can be recharged using the same G-Station charging stations used by any regular electric motorcycle. The Yamaha EC-Miu Electric Concept is also equipped with Wi-Fi capability which will help the riders use smartphone-based navigation and telematics services.

The Yamaha EC-Miu Electric Concept has made its official debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in November 2011.

Global specialist in energy management Schneider Electric has contracted Orange County Choppers to build their first hybrid motorcycle about which Paul Teutul , Sr. says it will be "capable of traveling farther, without refueling or recharging, than any other OCC bike in history." The parallel hybrid powertrain will be supplied by Schneider Electric while the guys at OCC bring in their design ideas as well as top quality build.

Obviously, you’re gonna see the whole story and the actual bike during a future American Chopper episode scheduled for next year, unless you’re a selected Schneider Electric contractor partner, meaning that you’ll see the hybrid chopper later this year and even get the change to win one of the eight such bikes that OCC and Schneider Electric give away.

After the jump, we’ve attached the video and the press release that resulted from this partnership. We’re eagerly waiting for the actual bike.

It looks more like a scooter to me, but it’s true. The word in Europe is that Yamaha and Toyota will team up to build the first hybrid motorcycle. We’ve even heard that it’s gonna be dubbed the ‘Prius’ (no, not the buzz car) and that it will be powered by both a 20bhp internal combustion engine and an electric motor, but that’s more than we can take. How’s that for you?

The internal combustion engine will be a 250cc horizontal single with two jobs to do: send power to the rear wheel and to a generator in order to supply the batteries with electricity. Everything is supposedly done through a high-tech ECU.

Piaggio has released a video explaining how the technology behind the MP3 Hybrid works. The revolutionary Italian scooter has a claimed 140mpg and it is the world’s first plug-in, lithium ion, hybrid leaning three-wheeler. So now you know why there is so much fuss about it.

Hit the jump to see the official video.

If you ever wondered how a chopper would be like without the characteristic massive V-twin engine, sound as well as flawless lines and came to the conclusion that it would be rubbish, I say reconsider. This, for instance is a chopper concept featuring a hybrid powertrain in an attempt to offer pretty much the same riding position, feel and attitude, but in the green way.

The author at Fish Design considers it "A future concept with environmentally friendly techniques. The purpose was to find a future concept for custom motorcycles, without a "real" engine, sound or traditional design. I wish to attract a cool target group. The hybrid power train is not as beautiful as the traditional custom engine (v-twin). How does that affect the esthetical function? The keyword for my design is “powerful elegance”

To us, the bodywork looks like a stylish suitcase from the future as we suppose that the battery pack lays there and it has to be removed in order to be recharged, but those are details that the author should worry about. In what concerns the Fat Boy-like wheels, they integrate perfectly in the overall design and add a cleaner look to the bike apart from showing that it is actually made to roll down the future’s highways.

Before sharing our personal opinion on this bike, let’s see what the artist itself has to say about it: "Red Widow - Motor Fantasy. A Futuristic revolutionary motorcycle, conceptual motorcycle design. A concept bike, a hybrid between your classic motorbike and sci-fi motor vehicle."

Ok, that’s a nice idea to wake up in mind with and the name is appropriate too, but as much as we’d like to revolutionize this industry we shouldn’t forget the basics. For instance, the round tire profile should never be dismissed if we plan to lean the bike in order to take it fast around corners. Once we do that, it is very likely to scrap the knees so better use protective gear…though the virtual legs look good, don’t they?

Apparently in an effort to reduce the effects of increased gas prices on customer pockets and that of global worming on Mother Nature, but actually a great way of staying strong on the market, Honda plans to introduce its first hybrid motorcycles until the beginning of 2011.

The system will be borrowed from the Honda Insight hybrid car and it will be implemented on motorcycles featuring 200cc and up to 1000cc traditional internal combustion engines. Engineers hope to squeeze car components on the future bikes and see the short way for this big evolutionary step.

Also, Honda will start production of smaller electric motorcycles in 2010, among which can also be found the successor of the Cub series. In this case, engines will be sized from 50 to 125cc and the bikes powered in such way are most likely to put the world of two wheels, like the first Honda Cub did.

Still, history won’t literally repeat itself as the new electric motorcycles will have a 30 kilometers range. Hopefully that’s enough to take you to and from work every day.

Two companies from Chine (Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. and Wuxi Angell) announced today to have joined forces in their common goal of developing an electric hybrid motorcycle that will further be produced for export. The idea at the base of the entire project is utilizing cells previously used for mining equipment.
The electric hybrid motorcycle will be sold around the world given to the fact that all of the requirements were completed, the only thing remaining to arrive being the (...)

Suzuki’s Crosscage hydrogen fuel cell powered electric bike is making its debut tomorrow at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show. The fuel cell for the Suzuki Crosscage was designed by Intelligent Energy and features its patented air-cooled system.
The Crosscage concept also features a semi-naked design and the major feature of a crosscage frame. Two large bars provide the bike chassis with stiffness, intersecting in the middle of the bike and it’s a design that may be employed on a production bike in (...)

A Japanese vehicle manufacturer unveiled the prototype of a new electric motorbike carrying a hybrid magnetic motor, which can run almost noiselessly up to 180 kilometers (112 miles) on one charge. Tokyo-based Axle Corporation says that the battery of the next-generation electric vehicle motorbike can be charged at home, in the same way as a cellular phone. It takes a little over 6 hours to fully charge the battery, and the vehicle’s maximum speed is capable of reaching 150 kilometers per (...)

Remember the ENV, the future of fuel cell motorcycles?
Here it is the video from Discovery Channel.

How much of riding a motorcycle is really the sound of the machine itself? That’s the question that potential riders will ask if and when they try out a hydrogen-powered motorcycle, manufactured at Intelligent-Energy, in Leicestershire, the U.K.
Like its automobile brethren, this machine runs on hydrogen, feeding it into a chamber and forcing it react with oxygen. The result is—surprise—water. That water is the only byproduct. No fumes, just vapor.
What we have here is much more than a (...)

It’s not just a mode of transportation. It’s machine art. Or rather, Machineart, a company that has collaborated with eCycle, Inc. to produce three hybrid motorcycle concepts designed to evoke "lightness and the image of an advanced vehicle."
Operating much like the hybrid cars that seem to be all the rage these days (although slowly getting overshadowed by fuel cell and other "alternative" vehicles), these three hybrid motorcycle concepts get their power from a (...)