- Honda to take the hybrid route
- Could either employ series hybrid or parallel hybrid
-Likely to make its way to an adventure motorcycle
Electrification of motorcycles seems to be the next frontier in the two-wheeler space with not just Ola Electric but Royal Enfield also set to join the fray in a couple of years. But for some legacy two-wheeler makers, battery-operated motorcycles might not be the ideal solution in the short term. So, to bridge the gap, they are choosing hybrid technology.
A leaked patent drawing has surfaced online which shows that Honda Motorcycles is betting on hybridisation as a bridging strategy. It’s not clear, however, if Honda will take the series or the parallel hybrid route for the upcoming motorcycle or a combination of the two.
Closer to home, Honda employs hybrid tech in its sedan, the City. The City uses a combination of series and parallel hybrid and can run either on electric or on internal combustion power exclusively, or a combination of the two.
According to the patent filing, the new Honda powertrain uses a single combustion engine and two motors. One of the motors plays the role of a starter and generator, while the other drives the wheels when the motorcycle runs in full EV mode. It can also work as a generator to recharge the batteries. We also expect the motorcycle to run on engine power alone especially when it comes to high-speed cruising.
There is no clarity on what the engine capacity will be or how big a battery pack Honda will use in the motorcycle when launched. It might also be noted that the outline of the motorcycle used might not be the final design. Having said that, given the weight and the added complexity, not to mention the added range a hybrid technology brings with it, Honda will most likely use this tech on an adventure or an adventure touring motorcycle.
