Kawasaki has filed numerous patents relating to the development of a hybrid motorcycle, which has already appeared at a trade show in Japan. While we expected to see it at EICMA in Milan, the Tokyo-based firm preferred to continue its development before officially unveiling it to the general public. But that was without counting on an equipment manufacturer, who also worked on the development of a hybrid motorcycle in the greatest secrecy, and who unveiled this vehicle, a truly functional demonstrator.
We owe this project to an equipment manufacturer called Vitesco Technologies, formerly the Powertrain division of Continental – until September 2019 – which brings together all the expertise in the field of Continental's powertrain. The company aims to develop innovative and efficient electrification technologies for all types of vehicles.
This company assumes that hybrid solutions will play an important role in a transition phase for motorcycles – because future CO2 limits can no longer be achieved solely through measures aimed at the combustion engine. On the hybrid demonstration vehicle presented in Milan, the additional electric motor is a standard 48-volt belt-driven starter-alternator from the automotive sector, where Vitesco Technologies has been using 48-volt hybridization since 2016. Together with a starter-alternator it is possible to cover relatively short distances in purely electric mode, which is particularly interesting in urban traffic. It also makes riding fun as it noticeably improves performance, especially on mid-sized motorcycles.
The basis of development is a Husqvarna Vitpilen, greatly modified, since it had this alternator-starter grafted under the saddle. For this, a modification of the shock absorber was necessary, and the exhaust system seems to still be in prototype form. Like the Kawasaki, several operating modes are expected: 100% thermal, 100% electric or a mix of the two modes, in order to add a boost option to the thermal engine.
A PDCU (Powertrain Domain Control Unit) manages the very demanding control strategy of hybrid systems. This controls the 48-volt machine, communicates with the ECU of the combustion engine, taken from the Vitesco Technologies 2-wheel catalog, and coordinates the two types of drive: it decides when to be in purely electric mode, when use the combustion engine and when to combine the two, and also ensures smooth transitions between driving modes.
Another innovation of the hybrid motorcycle is a smart actuator (Smart Transmission Actuator), which can switch the transmission independently and without operating the clutch. With such automated manual transmissions, significant fuel savings can be achieved because the electronic control system can perform the gear change at an optimal time to optimize consumption.
Images: Vitesco Technologies
