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A Hybrid Electric Motorcycle (HEM) with a variable-winding brushed DC wheel motor is proposed in this paper. When the windings are connected in parallel, the motor has wide speed range suitable for high-speed cruising. When the windings are connected in series, the motor can provide high starting torque and thus reduce the necessary engine size for the proposed HEM. The optimal upper and lower power limits of the engine operating region are obtained from the optimal design theory. A dynamic simulation model is established in Matlab/Simulink to evaluate the performance of the proposed HEM and traditional motorcycles using the ECE40 driving cycle.

This study focuses on developing a cranking torque reduction strategy for a motorcycle with idling-stop system. At first, experiments are done to measure the electric current consumption of starting motor which is then converted into cranking torque by the motor torque constant. The experimental results also indicate that the piston position, after the engine is stopped, always remains at the bottom dead center of compression stroke. This will further increase the cranking torque for the next engine start due to static friction and compression pressure. This paper, therefore, proposes to retrofit the original generator of motorcycle as a motor/generator with the same operation power. The motor/generator could be worked in motor mode to assist the starting motor to crank the engine, and hence the instantaneous power provided by the starting motor could be reduced to extend its life time.