Piaggio Launches Plug-in Bike at EICMA

Piaggio isn’t a well-known company in the US, but its scooter brand- Vespa- is one of the most well-known vehicle-makers anywhere on the planet. As such, I think it’s safe to say that Piaggio knows light, urban two-wheelers- and, last week, Piaggio launched an all-new, pedal-assist ebike to do battle with Ford, Smart, and others.

Piaggio- unlike Smart and Ford- developed its bike 100% in-house, and believes that its expertise in developing continuously variable transmissions for its scooters will give it the edge over its direct-drive competitors. The company calls this combination of CVT + electric motors “DEA”, for Dynamic Engine Assistance. Combined with a “300-ish” W motor developed in-house by Piaggio, bike offers an all-electric range of 40-60 miles, depending on conditions.

The bike also works with a riders smartphone to find the “easiest” route, the most battery-friendly route, or even the most “difficult” route, for those riders who … want to exercise as hard as possible, I guess? Something?

In any event, you can see some of the bike-related smartphone apps Piaggio has developed in the ebike’s EICMA promotional video, above, and let us know what you think of Piaggio’s latest human/electric hybrid in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Piaggio eBike | EICMA 2014

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Source | Images: Piaggio, via TechVehi.

This Just Might be the World’s Most Perfect Vespa

By packing 38 tire-blistering horsepower into a cut-down, ultra lightweight 2 wheeler with a straight-cut, 4-speed transmission, the German mental patients at Scooter and Service may have just built the world’s most perfect vintage Vespa.

That’s right, kids. Thirty-eight horsepower. To the wheel.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll note that this tiny hellion Vespa is packing more horsepower than that ridiculous Harley-Davidson Street 500 your dad is thinking about buying to tool around his 50+ retirement community on. That’s also more horsepower than the latest entry-level sport bikes from Honda and Kawasaki, and it’s all wrapped in a package that you could probably ride down a city bike lane without drawing the nasty looks that (trust me on this) a full-size big boy bike will net you. At under 200 lbs., each of those 38 horses only has to pull about 5.3 lbs. That’s better than a Porsche- and not just any Porsche, mind you- but Porsche’s raciest car ever, the 475 HP 2014 GT3 911.

Factor in that this vintage smallframe Vespa is so utterly non-threatening in appearance that your mom will not only call it “cute”, she might ask to borrow it. ProTip: unless your mom is Susanna Schick, she’ll be killed.

You can check out the final product …

… and take a look at some of the behind-the-scenes work that went into this jaw-dropping, 80 MPG (like, at a steady cruise) vintage Vespa restomod, below. Let us know what you think of the little bike, and how you’d ride the crazy thing in the comments at the bottom of the page.

Source | Photos: Scooter and Service, via Return of the Cafe Racers.

The Plug In Hybrid Versions of the Piaggio MP3

I drive a Suzuki Burgman 400 cc scooter in the warmer months and enjoy it thoroughly. I also enjoy the feeling of getting around while only sipping the gasoline and getting 60 mpg. Here is a scooter that makes the Burgman look like a Hummer! The Piaggio MP3 PHEV gets in excess of 140 mpg, meaning that you could commute to your workplace for an entire week on a gallon of gas!

The best feature on the Piaggio hybrid is its ability to flip a switch and run in all electric mode. This is exactly what is needed across the board in the automotive industry so hopefully this technology will catch on and catch on quickly. No word yet on specifics such as top speed and range.

From Green Car Congress:

The MP3 hybrid. Click to enlarge.

The Piaggio Group has introduced the MP3 Hybrid, a plug-in hybrid version of its MP3 three-wheeled scooter. With a grid-chargeable Li-ion battery pack, the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid reduces both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50%. The MP3 Hybrid has a Euro 3 emissions rating.

The Piaggio MP3 Hybrid incorporates a parallel hybrid drive in which the 124cc combustion engine and a 2.6 kW, 15N·m synchronous brushless permanent magnet traction motor are mechanically and electronically linked and simultaneously supply power to the wheel. The hybrid powertrain offers combined power of 11 kW (15 hp), with combined torque of 16 Nm (12 lb-ft).

Energy flow in the MP3 Hybrid. Click to enlarge.

The MP3 Hybrid manages the power delivered from the gasoline and electric units with a Ride-By-Wire system: the torque requested by the rider via the throttle and brake is processed by the integrated electronic management system (VMS, Vehicle Management System) which, on the basis of a number of parameters (such as battery charge, for example), splits the power delivery between the power plants. When decelerating and braking, the management system recovers energy and accumulates it in the battery.

Under startup and acceleration, the electric motor can supplements the gasoline unit to provide up to an 85% boost in performance. The electric motor also offers the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid an ultra-quiet reverse mode, which is handy for parking and for manoeuvring out of tight spaces.

Two CAD renderings of the MP3 Hybrid drivetrain unit (engine, motor and transmission). Click to enlarge.

The Piaggio MP3 Hybrid offers fuel economy of up to 60 km/L (141 mpg US, or 1.7 L/100km), compared with an average of 26 km/L (61 mpg US, or 3.8 L/100km) for gasoline scooters with mid-sized engines. CO₂ emissions are 40 g/km compared with 90 g/km for a conventional internal combustion engined scooter (figures for the MP3 Hybrid calculated considering 65% use in hybrid mode and 35% use in electric mode).

The Piaggio MP3 Hybrid can also run on electric power alone; pressing the button on the handlebar disengages the gasoline engine. The rider can switch between the full electric and hybrid mode even while on the move, by simply selecting the desired mode by pressing and holding the "Hy Tech" button for a few seconds. The MP3 offers four operating modes:

• Hybrid Charge for maximum battery charge
• Hybrid Power, for maximum performance
• Full electric mode
• Reverse mode

CAD rendering of the battery pack location. Click to enlarge.

The battery pack, with integrated control electronics, is hidden away in the compartment under the saddle, which still has enough room to accommodate a helmet and other objects. An indicator integrated into the dashboard lets the rider keep a constant eye on the battery charge level. The vehicle is charged easily from the mains with a normal electrical cable, plugged into the relative socket with the panel switched off. The full charge cycle takes approximately three hours, although 85% charge is achieved in just two hours.