Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

World's First Production Hybrid Motorcycle To Hit Market In India

Posted by timothy on from the so-finish-shopping-quickly dept.

bluemanlines writes "The Indian company Eko Vehicles has announced the development of the world's first production hybrid motorcycle, called the ET-120. In a short time this motorcycle will run on the Indian streets, offering about 280 miles per gallon with a top speed of 40 miles per hour."

10 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. Moped, not Motorcycle by darthflo · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wired has slightly better coverage.

    This is at best a moped, a far cry even from 2-stroke 125cc motorcycles. The ET-120 has some 70 ccs of displacement, producing (that's according to TFA) enough power to reach a top speed of 40 mph, no actual numbers on power or torque given. A modern 125cc 2-stroke motorcycle will produce some 33 bhp of power, 20 Nm of torque and reach top speeds in excess of 100 mph. At 280 mpg, its fuel consumption is quite nice, though, especially when compared to some 45 mpg one would get out of a standard 125cc motorcycle.

    1. Re:Moped, not Motorcycle by darthflo · · Score: 2, Informative

      I don't know from where you got these figures

      From an Aprilia RS125, for example. There are quite a few similar models around.

  2. Mopeds have pedals... by sznupi · · Score: 3, Informative

    This thing is closest in form to underbone motorcycles (contrary to what you might think, engine power doesn't define "motorcycle")

    --
    One that hath name thou can not otter
    1. Re:Mopeds have pedals... by sznupi · · Score: 2, Informative

      It looks closest to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underbone - "An underbone, or underbone motorcycle, is a small motorcycle"

      Speed and displacement don't play much of a role in those definitions. Besides you wrote yourself that it surpasses what is sometimes the legal definition of a "moped"

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
  3. Re:Other venues... by sznupi · · Score: 3, Informative

    I don't really see how it's ugly, it's simply function over form; very similar to underbone motorcycles which are widely popular in Asia, just with battery pack in place of cargo rack (btw, that's where it is in such motorcycles more often, not at the back; and it surely will be like that in this hybrid one, even if there's somewhat less space there)

    --
    One that hath name thou can not otter
  4. Re:Side benefit by sznupi · · Score: 2, Informative

    Way too far.

    More like stylistic cues from, say, older MZ motorcycles ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MZ_ETZ250.JPG - which are quite universal of course, being mostly about practical factors) and following overall design of very popular there underbone motorcycles.

    --
    One that hath name thou can not otter
  5. Motorcycle Fuel Consumption by RotateLeftByte · · Score: 4, Informative

    As a Bike rider since 1969 I can attest to the worsening fuel consumption figures in modern bikes. My 1969 650cc Triumph TR6 in touring trim gets over 80mpg. My 2004 780cc Triumph Bonnieville gets 50mpg My 1963 650cc Bonnievile gets 60mpg with 10.5:1 Compression pistons and race tuning. Many high performance bike these days have worse consumption than many cars. This is a crazy situation. I'd probably plump for a leccy bike rather than a hybrid for my commute to work (Some 30miles each way) Seeing them racing round the "Island" in june was really great.

    --
    I'd rather be riding my '63 Triumph T120.
    1. Re:Motorcycle Fuel Consumption by couchslug · · Score: 2, Informative

      When we count environmental impact we shouldn't externalize the other costs involved.

      Producing a truck takes far more resources than does a motorcycle, and the truck will generate more waste oil/waste fluids/waste lubricant over its life cycle. It will require more effort to scrap and generate many pounds of plastic waste (seats, interior,some body parts, bedliner). Unlike a motorbike, trucks have air conditioning which usually means at least one full load of refrigerant either leaked or dumped into the atmosphere. (Yes, I know about recovery pumps, I'm a mechanic....) Trucks weigh more and produce more wear on roads, They have twice as many tires which are larger and require recycling as well as more resources to produce.

      I'm fond of my trucks (and argue that retaining a properly tuned big block is less impactful than buying replacement trucks) but let's remember that what comes out the exhaust is not the total impact per mile travelled of any vehicle.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  6. Re:Double weight by hitmark · · Score: 2, Informative

    well you can scale back the gasoline engine, as it will just be there to keep the batteries topped of and/or drive the electric motor thats really the one powering the whole thing.

    this removes a fair bit of gearing and similar. Hell, one may even hook the electric motor straight on the back wheel if one wants to, and just run wires, rather then some chain or similar.

    --
    comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
  7. Re:Side benefit by quarterbuck · · Score: 4, Informative

    India had mopeds for a long time and the inspiration for this one seems to be the TVS 50
    It has been in production for over 30 years and used to be most popular moped in India. This is actually smaller than the Honda cub (which was sold as Bajaj M80 in India) and is supposedly based on an indigenous design - though TVS would later collaborate with Suzuki to introduce their motorcycles in India.
    . The MZ through its many evolutions actually became Rajdoot in India, which was a full motorcycle, not a moped. The tunturi and its variants became Suvega mopeds in India.

    --
    http://slashdot.org/submission/1062723/Cheap-mobile-data-plan?art_pos=2