Honda Patents Fake Clutch and Vibrations for Electric Motorcycles
by Akshay Kulkarni · RushLaneWhen the first set of electric 2W vehicles were designed, their primary aim was to achieve electric mobility for everyday use at low speeds. Then, focus was shifted to match the performance and practicality of an ICE vehicle of similar class. In the future, the race between OEMs could be to match the feel and experience of an ICE vehicle with EVs.
World-renowned 2W manufacturer, Honda, is already at it and the company’s latest patents suggest the same. With a pseudo clutch and flywheel integrated into an electric motorcycle, Honda aims to simulate some amount of mechanical feel and experience of a traditional ICE motorcycle on an electric one. Let’s take a closer look.
Honda Pseudo Clutch and Flywheel Patented
Pseudo clutches are nothing new and electric motorcycle manufacturers like Kymco and Zero have been working on this technology. Kymco offers this pseudo clutch on SuperNEX and RevoNEX along with Zero Motorcycles which patented it with their high-performance SR/F electric street fighter motorcycle.
Honda stomping their feet in pseudo clutch arena is rather interesting, considering their industrial might and scale of production. Right now, Honda has patented pseudo clutch and flywheel tech with their CR Electric Proto motocross prototype developed by Honda Racing Corporation and Mugen.
CR Electric Proto is sort of a test bed for Honda and there is a good probability of it spawning a production-spec electric dirt bike range in the future. Honda has engineered a real clutch and flywheel on their competition-focussed RTL Electric Trials race bike. However, the latest patents positioned on CR Electric Proto, only simulate the feel of a clutch and flywheel.
How Does It Work?
Just like in its RTL Electric Trials bike, the new system positioned on CR Electric Proto also gets a clutch lever. However, here it is purely an electrical unit, artificially simulating the feel of clutch and flywheel. In the patent, we can see how electric motor responds to clutch actuation. In layman’s terms, motor power will be halved if clutch lever is pulled by half and power is dropped completely when clutch is pressed completely.
One can even dump the clutch, like in an ICE vehicle, to get max surge in power from get-go. Honda is going a step further with haptic feedback to riders which sort of make the experience of an ICE bike more effective. One haptic motor is placed at either ends of the handlebar and one on clutch lever.
A couple of years ago, we joked about how Royal Enfield may give fake vibration on electric bikes to appeal to dug-dug fans as part of an April Fools joke. Now, that may be a reality in the future as Honda is taking greater strides in making electric motorcycles more engaging than they currently are.