Development of Electronic Control in Strong Hybrid Motorcycle

In response to the growing demand for environmental performance, the mobility industry is actively developing electrification, and in particular, the use of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) in commuting motorcycles is advancing. However, in the case of vehicles for leisure, which require high riding performance, there are problems such as cruising range and charging time, and there are currently few mass-produced models. Therefore, we proposed a hybrid motorcycle to achieve both environmental performance and high riding performance by means other than BEV. The proposed vehicle is equipped with a strong type hybrid system in which an engine and a drive motor are connected in parallel via a hydraulic electronically controlled clutch. It is possible to run only by the motor (EV driving) or by a hybrid running powered by both the engine and the motor (HEV driving). In order to improve environmental performance, it is necessary to develop a function for switching between EV and HEV driving and an automatic transmission function. In motorcycles, which are lighter than passenger cars, it has been an important issue to achieve the required functions without causing discomfort to the rider. In order to solve this problem, we worked on torque distribution control between the engine and motor according to the rider operation and the remaining battery capacity, and developed coordinated control of the electronically controlled hydraulic clutch and electronically controlled transmission unit. We achieved low fuel consumption comparable to that of the 250cc class while maintaining the riding feeling. This paper describes the configuration of the strong hybrid system to achieve both environmental performance and high riding performance, and then discusses the electronic control technology, the technical issues, and the solutions.