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Hybrid Motorcycle gets supercharged

Australian motorcycle designer, Tim Cameron has unveiled his new one-of-a-kind supercharged Petrol-electric hybrid motorcycle! Tim Cameron has a simple question - Motorcycles are already an economical transport 'alternative' but what if you could buy something that could not only out-perform everything else on the road, but at the same time got double or even triple the mpg of existing machines while putting out less emissions?

This question probably powered him to design the CAF-E hybrid motorcycle concept. The CAF-E is a petrol-electric hybrid, powered by a parallel-twin engine with twin superchargers and an electric motor that's fed by a lithium-ion battery pack! According to the designer the bike is a 'parallel hybrid' as the petrol engine and the electric motor work together to produce power.

Cameron reveals that the secret to this arrangement is the transmission which is based around Toyota's Synergy Drive. The Synergy Drive is a computer-controlled gear arrangement that combines the output of both power plants seamlessly according to load and conditions. He further adds that it is very compact and ideal for motorcycle application as it is a stepless CVT type of transmission.

Cameron doesn't think the CAF-E would be very expensive to produce as the hybrid technology showcased in the CAF-E has already been proven in the car world. He expects the bike to retail for the same amount as 'upper-range Harley money' if it gets produced.

As Toyota, Honda and General Motors have already shelled out huge amounts of money to develop the technology while he just adapted it over to two wheels. Tim Cameron is an Australian motorcycle designer who had earlier designed the Travertson V-Rex and VR-2.

[Via: BIKE]