Electric and hybrid electric motorcycle design

The road to a net zero future includes different electrification technologies for different applications. For many motorcycles from scooters to racing bikes, this is a hybrid combination of electric and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) using traditional and non-carbon e-fuels. Offering a balance between range, convenience, emissions reduction and cost - Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) hybrids hold a place in the market for a range of two-wheel machines.

This leaves Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and manufacturers with the challenge of simultaneously developing smaller IC engines for hybrid systems, compatible battery / motor units and investing in non-carbon fuels, all with tighter resources and budgets.

In the early stages of development physical prototype modelling is expensive, requiring virtual simulation tools to answer many of the 'What ifs' before committing to a design path. Complete vehicle system simulation models are vital in the selection of the correct balance of components to meet performance, emissions, cost and drivability requirements for the both the full electric and the ICE / electric hybrid controlling predicting their behaviour under different duty cycles.

Electric and hybrid electric system analysis consists of four packages that calculate combustion, temperatures, mechanical losses, and emissions data used in the system model.

IGNITE is a complete physics-based hybrid simulation package. With a library system of building blocks, the user can quickly and accurately model complete electric and hybrid electric systems, analysing electric motor control and engine performance.

WAVE is a 1D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool that provides ICE data to the system model across a range of drive cycle scenarios.

The structural mechanics suite, including SABR, ENGDYN and VALDYN, predict transmission and mechanical ICE losses as inputs to the drive cycle system model.