Freshly unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show is the entirely new HYmotion3 Compressor concept by Peugeot. A three-wheel tilting trike which features combined characteristics of a car and a scooter, the concept benefits of late Peugeot ‘HYmotion’ technology involving simultaneous powering of a petrol engine and two electric ones.
Featuring two seats and three wheels, the all-new vehicle powers the rear wheel with a 125cc, supercharged petrol engine developing 20 bhp. That only could have decently powered the Peugeot (and it actually can when selecting petrol only engine mode), but in that case it wouldn’t have been called a hybrid. So it gets two equally powerful (3kW) electric motors for each front wheel, quality that makes electric-only mode possible.
As you already suppose, the Peugeot is a highly efficient fuel economic trike, and you haven’t even heard the best of it yet. It actually features start/stop system which offers significant reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in urban and stop-and-go traffic. Still, performance isn’t that bad as it needs 11.2 seconds to hit 60 mph while a quarter of a mile will require 17.6 seconds.
Because the HYmotion3 features roll-over protection, designers made sure that wind protection and that of the elements won’t become things to worry about so a screen/roof was added, making the trike worthy of being ridden by people wearing expensive suits rather than leather jackets.
Peugeot’s master plan also includes parallelogram type front suspension, which allows the front wheels to tilt, anti-lock brakes and a regenerative braking system which charges the batteries of the front electric engines. Life on board will also be made easier by the rearview camera and ride-by-wire controls.
The way I see it, Peugeot is most likely to stay keen on this project as there is a continuous increase of commuter vehicles and I wouldn’t be surprised if it will head to the production line in a couple of years.
