New sketches of what would be a new series of Yamaha hybrid motorcycles have been registered in the Japanese patent office. A decade ago Yamaha showed interest in the subject, with several designs, which were forgotten.
Now hybridization is seriously resumed, with the development of new models with different configurations that would be halfway between combustion and pure electric. Something that we have already seen in Kawasaki in a much more advanced way and that we have shown you in Solomoto.es.
In 2005 Yamaha released the Gen-Ryu prototype, and in 2009 the HV-X, which used a system similar to that of the Toyota Prius. After all, both brands are related, since part of the motorcycle brand belongs to the automobile giant.
The system of those “concept bikes” was very simple, and by means of a planetary axle the power of the conventional engine was combined with the electric one, with a continuously variable transmission and with a system to recover battery charge when braking, or when when she was very low and needed to recharge. Just like the cars of the brand.
Future Yamaha Hybrids
Now, as reflected in the sketches of the future Yamaha published by Cycle World, in the Iwata mechanics, and unlike those first prototypes and the Kawasaki (where the conventional engine is helped by an electric one, but can work by itself ), the electric motor takes on much more prominence than the combustion motor.
In fact, the only purpose of the combustion engine would be to work efficiently to limit itself to recharging the battery, with the electric motor being the one that really drives the bike. The idea is very good, because you can be driving only with the electric motor, and if you run out of battery or fuel, refuel with the same ease as you do with a conventional gasoline vehicle.
Based on this idea, several designs have been patented, which logically incorporate a combustion engine, a battery, an electric motor, an inverter and a gearbox. The differences between them lie in the location of the engine cooling systems and electronics. Well, everyone knows that cooling is very, very important in electric vehicles.
scooters and motorcycles
In one of them a radiator is located in front of the combustion engine to extract the heat; in two other patents all components are rearranged to make the prototype more compact, at the expense of greater unsprung mass, with a shared radiator. Apparently, the first option and one of the second ones are developed around a scooter of TMAX proportions, and another one around XMAX.
A fourth design, based on an apparent TMAX, incorporates two separate radiators. One for the battery and electric motor and one for the combustion engine. The idea is that since each one has different temperature ranges of use, they would adapt to each need. Other designs show different locations for the radiators and engines.
Various designs based on a small motorcycle have also been patented. And although at the moment it seems that they will take time to reach production, it is clear that Yamaha is seriously considering the development of hybrid bikes.
The years of pure combustion vehicles are numbered, and the different manufacturers will have to adapt to the needs of the future if they do not want to be doomed to disappear.
