Kawasaki's electric motorcycle project was officially unveiled a year ago, but it has been quietly developed for about ten years before that. This is a strange machine. Its performance is not only far behind the current level (the peak value is only 27hp, and the power output is only 13.5hp). Kawasaki even said that there is no plan to produce electric motorcycles. What's the point?
Another patent reveals four potential "modes" of hybrid motorcycle running in four modes. The answer may be that the electrical prototype is only half the story. In the past year or so, the R&D department of Kawasaki Heavy Industries has applied for many patents of hybrid motorcycles. Combining ordinary gasoline engines with small engines can not only improve performance and economy, but also reduce emissions. Kawasaki Heavy Industries did not show any prototypes or even make a formal statement on the hybrid plan, but it is still a technology that the company is interested in.
It is a strange choice to connect the low-power motor of electric motorcycle project with the traditional motorcycle gearbox. Although the official explanation is to make the machine more attractive, it is a more meaningful decision from the perspective of hybrid power. Kawasaki Electric's latest patent explains that it envisions a hybrid motorcycle, in which both the gasoline engine and the motor are connected to the traditional transmission through a one-way clutch, so that each motor can independently or jointly power the motorcycle. When a gasoline engine is used and no extra power is needed, the motor can also be used as a generator to charge the battery.
Kawasaki's latest hybrid patent shows the whole motorcycle. The battery pack on the electric prototype is very large, occupying most of the motorcycle chassis, while the hybrid version does not need so many batteries, but leaves room for the gasoline engine and fuel tank. The latest patent shows a motorcycle with a fairly ordinary appearance, but its motor (marked 30 in the above picture) is roughly the same size and position as the electric prototype. Gasoline engine (the crank end cover is visible, and the image is marked with "? 2 1 ") is located directly in front of it, so the total powertrain kit is actually no bigger than a traditional motorcycle.
What is really interesting about the latest patent is the control equipment and electronic equipment, including the throttle valve, which is specially designed to provide the driver with absolute control over the performance of the hybrid power system.
This is the way to control the hybrid car (as shown above). It is equipped with a throttle installation mode selector and a "boost" button. The accelerator (pictured above) has a traditional torque handle, but it has two additional controls: a four-way "hat" switch (labeled 37) and a "boost" button (36). There is also a normal stop switch (34) and an "instrument mode" switch (35) for accessing other functions.
According to the patent, the four-way switch "can selectively tilt to one of four directions, that is, forward, backward, right or left, and can operatively select the running mode of the motorcycle", and "the running mode can include fuel". Economic mode and sports travel mode, therefore, if the operator attaches importance to fuel economy, he can choose fuel economy mode; If operators want this kind of travel experience, they can choose sports travel mode. "
Interestingly, both the hat switch and the booster button move synchronously with the twist handle, so no matter how wide the throttle is, the thumb can always stay on them. This leads to the "boost button", which is said in the patent to "issue a command to change the torque output characteristics to increase the output torque of the hybrid power supply", and goes on to explain that it will give an "acceleration button" and press the additional power supply for a few seconds.
The throttle itself controls the gasoline engine and the motor at the same time, and the signal is transmitted through the control unit, which is helpful to determine the power ratio output by each unit. Touching the brake will release the booster function.
Although patents alone cannot guarantee that a technology can be put into production, Kawasaki has applied for at least seven separate patents on this machine in the past 12 months, which shows that Kawasaki is carrying out serious development work. In view of the fact that the company has been developing electric powertrain for a long time and insists that there is no plan to manufacture pure electric motorcycles in the short term, this means that hybrid power may be quietly emerging.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.