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.
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 (...) > More
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 (...) > More
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 (...) > More
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