NL Corresspondent
Jammu Tawi: Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of advanced powertrain technologies and solutions for e-mobility, is
advancing the hybridization of motorcycles: at EICMA 2022 (November 10-13, press and trade visitor days on November 8/9), the
company will present the next development stage of a hybrid motorcycle with an additional electric drive that significantly reduces CO2
emissions. The concept is designed for motorcycles with a displacement of over 125cc and comprises a 48-volt electric motor, an
automated manual gearbox and, as the “control center”, a Powertrain Domain Control Unit (PDCU), the so-called Master Controller.
Vitesco Technologies presented the first development stage of the hybrid concept at EICMA last year. “For medium-sized and large
motorcycles with combustion engines, we expect that future exhaust emission limits can only be met by using hybridization in
combination with an automated manual transmission. With this aim in mind, our development focus was initially entirely on reducing
CO2,” says Torsten Bellon, head of the 2-Wheeler & Powersports product line at Vitesco Technologies. The electric engine of the
hybrid concept is a standard belt-driven starter generator from the passenger car sector, where Vitesco Technologies has been using
48-volt hybridization since 2016. The Master Controller, also from the passenger car segment, is responsible for the control strategy,
which is particularly demanding in hybrid systems. It controls the 48-volt engine, communicates with the M4C engine control unit of
the combustion engine and decides when to switch to electric drive, when to drive “conventionally” and when to use a combination of
both drive types. “Our development teams know exactly what counts when riding a motorcycle and always have the various different
user groups in mind,” says Christophe Genin, head of the hybrid concept project. Electric starting is enabled by the electric motor and
the smart transmission. “But like all the new functions of our hybrid motorcycle, developing the corresponding control strategy for the
Master Controller was the key aspect here,” says Genin.
