3.PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
INTRODUCTION TO THE INVENTION
Rising costs of fossils based fuel, resulting in increased operational costs of vehicles, emission norms getting stricter by the day to curb vehicular pollution and its impact on the environment and the need to reduce dependency on imports for fuel is driving the initiative to look at low cost alternative means of transportation. Designing a system that can help achieve the above and which is affordable and within the means of the masses is need of the hour. One such system is the present invention which is in the form of a conversion system can help transform an existing petrol dependent IC engine driven motorcycle into a less polluting, eco-friendly and low operational cost plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle.
The present invention relates to a hybrid electric motorcycle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a drive train, including an electric motor and battery

used for converting an existing IC engine motorcycle in to a plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle, and to a hybrid electric motorcycle incorporating the electric drive train.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a much simpler hybrid electric drive to the motorcycle by providing the electric part of the powertrain in the front wheel of the motorcycle. This would enable a faster and simpler conversion kit to convert existing IC engine driven motorcycles to hybrid electric motorcycles.
It is another object of the present invention to simplify the installation of an electric motor and battery without much modification to the existing design of the motorcycle and thereby keep the design costs low.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention according to a first aspect thereof provides the electric drive by a brushless DC motor of the Hub type. This motor is mounted in the front wheel of the vehicle. This motor is of 3000 W capacity and is operated by a 48V battery system. These specifications of the motor are for the test vehicle and can be customized as per user's preferences.
The present invention according to a second aspect thereof, in addition to the first aspect, is characterized in that the drive train includes the motor controller of MOSFET & PWM type. The controller is mounted in the front fork of the motorcycle below the head light and display panel. The controller manages the operation of the motor in the electric mode and the regeneration operation during IC engine mode.
The present invention according to a third aspect thereof, in addition to one of the first through second aspects, is characterized by a battery system of 48 V 33 Ah capacities that supplies electric power. There are four individual batteries each of 12V 33 Ah capacities. All four batteries are connected in series to make a 48V system. Two batteries are mounted on the rear side carriage of the motorcycle and one battery each is mounted on either side of the motorcycle above the rear wheel. The battery type and technical specifications of battery can be customized as per user's preferences.
The present invention according to a fourth aspect thereof, in addition to one of the first through third aspects, is characterized by the accelerator which is a unique design that enables both the electric motor and the engine to be accelerated using the same handle mounted grip-type accelerator. This design incorporates the cable type arrangement required for increasing the speed of the IC engine and the potentiometer arrangement to increase the speed of the motor in a single unit.
The present invention according to a fifth aspect thereof, in addition to one of the first through fourth aspects, is characterized by designing a front fork of the motorcycle that is strengthened compared to standard motorcycles to take the weight of the BLDC motor and also provides the mounting for the motor and the

controller on the front side. The re-designed front suspension also provides the necessary drive from the front wheel to the vehicle.
The present invention according to a sixth aspect thereof, in addition to one of the first through fifth aspects, is characterized by designing a conversion kit that converts an existing motorcycle into an hybrid electric motorcycle and such a kit that comprises of the electric drive train, the battery system, the necessary modifications required for the installation of the entire electric drive train all provided as a simple bolt-on system that can be installed irrespective of the make and model of the existing motorcycle.
EFFEaS OF THE INVENTION
The invention helps to create low emissions, fuel-saving plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle from an existing internal combustion engine motorcycle. For the city route selected for testing, the test vehicle in stock condition gives a mileage of 55km per litre of petrol. With the addition of the electric drive that can operate independently, the mileage improves to approximately 90km per litre per charge; where-in 35km are obtained by driving the motorcycle on electric mode. Thus an improvement of about 60% in range per litre per charge (* the performance specifications of such PHEV will improve with further advancements in technology of electric powertrain components such as battery, motor, controller, BMS, etc) can be achieved in city driving conditions which in turn mean that significant reduction in CO2 emissions can also be achieved per litre of petrol consumed in city driving conditions. Since the invention helps to convert the existing motorcycle into a low emissions, fuel saving vehicle -i. It increases the life expectancy of the existing vehicle, ii. Provides a cost-effective solution to reduce the emissions from vehicles that
are already on the road iii. Helps in conserving the usage of petrol thereby helping in reducing the
import bills of fossil fuel based fuels for the nation

The hybrid electric motorcycle can be operated in three modes
i. Electric mode - The BLDC motor in front wheel provides a direct drive to the front wheel

ii. Engine mode - IC engine provides the drive to the rear wheel through the gearbox and chain-sprocket mechanism


iii. Regenerative mode - The front wheel mounted BLDC hub motor acts as a generator and charges the battery as required while in the regenerative mode

This plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle can be compared with the existing petrol engine motorcycle and a fully electric two-wheeler as shown in the table below. The comparison has been made for features like maximum speed, range, mileage, modes of operation, pollution control, etc that can be considered important for end-users. The specifications of such plug-in hybrid electric motorcycles will improve with further advancements in technology of electric powertrain components such as battery, motor, controller, BMS, etc.

Two Wheeler (Plug-In Hybrid Motor Cycle)
sr num Features Two Wheeler (1C Engine) Two Wheeler (All Electric) Conceptualised, Designed &.Functional
Prototype Built by NextGen Tech Initiatives Pvt.
Ltd.
Moderate (Typical speed range of
Max. Speed High(>60kmph) existing vehicles is between under 25 kmph to about 45 kmph) High (>60 kmph)
Highest
Range (Total km travelled on full tank of fuel/Charge/per
liter per charge) High w (Range of existing IC Engine two wheeler gets

(> 200 km for a FULL fuel tank assuming Fuel tank capacity is more than 4 litres and city Mileage is about (About 40 to 60 km per FULL Charge
considering typical city drive
conditions) extended with additional mileage driven in all electric mode. The batteries powering all electric mode are charged by either EXTERNAL power plug

than 50 km per litre)
OR in a REGENERATIVE mode while Motor Cycle is
run on IC Engine)
Mileage (Per Liter/Per
Charge/ Per Leter Per
Charge) High (>50 km per litre for a typcial mass produced IC Engine Motor Cycle) Low
(<60 km per FULL Charge for existing
all electric two wheelers) Highest
(As it sums the total mileage of IC Engine mode and
all electric mode and can be represented as Per
Liter Per Charge)
Three Modes: 1. ICE 2. All Electric 3. ICE with
Modes of Operations Single (ICE) Single (Electric Motor) Regenration Mode (On or Off type) (Each Mode would give different overall Range)
Noise Pollution & Vibrations Present Absent Absent in All Electric Mode. Present in other Modes.
High (i) Low: (In case of Refueling petrol tank, assuming no queues at fuel stations) (ii) Moderate: (In case
Low
(However, the waiting period for fuel
stations in urban area can add to
refuling time) (In case of Lead Acid battery) of extensive usage of Renerative Mode due to
Refuel / Recharge Time Per Km
However, with better infrastructure and technology, such as fast charging stations and advanced batteries such Range Extension) (iii) High: In case of Charging
batteries with external power source (without any
advanced technology in battery or charging

as Lithium-lon,etc the charging time infrastructure) (iv)Very Low: (In case of Battery
would be lower in future. Swapping Arrangement). Thus, substantial scope to create more friendly charging infrastructure.
Scope to improve High
performance (Battery as well as charging High
specifications such as Relatively Low technology are being improved (Battery as well as charging technology are being

range, speed, etc. with
substantially with increasing R&D improved substantially with increasing R&D spend
advancements in Technology spend and sricter environmental compliances.) and sricter environmental compliances.)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE INVENTION
The technical and performance specifications are based on the test vehicle built for the purpose of demonstration of the concept and design. The specifications of such PHEV will improve with further advancements in technology of electric powertrain components such as battery, motor, controller, BMS, etc.
Technical Specifications (of Test vehicle):

Motor Type BLDC Hub Motor
Motor Power 3000 W; 48V system
Motor Torque 82 N-m (max)
Motor Controller MOSFET based PWM type Kelly Controller
Battery Capacity 48 V 33 Ah
Battery charging Plug-in charge point
Battery Charger 48 V / 5A; Input AC: 180-240V 50/60 Hz
Regeneration mode Yes
Brakes Front - Disc; Rear - Drum
Engine type 4 stroke air-cooled SOHC
Engine displacement 111.6 cc
Engine power Max 9.5 bhp @8000 rpm
Transmission 4-speed
Accelerator Combined electro-mechanical type
Performance Specifications (of Test vehicle):

Travel Range 35 km per charge (Electric mode)

55 kmpl (city); 65 kmpl (highway) (IC engine mode)
Speed 50 kmph max (Electric mode)

95 kmph max (IC engine mode)

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
i. Fig 1: General Arrangement
ii. Fig 2: Combined Accelerator
iii. Fig 3: Wheel Assembly RHS
iv. Fig 4: Wheel Assembly LHS
v. . Fig 5: Front suspension arrangement
vi. Fig 6: Complete Motor drive
vii. Fig 7: Block diagram of Controller
viii. Fig 8: Controller assembly
ix. Fig 9: Controller box housing assembly
x. Fig 10: Complete Front Suspension and Fork Assembly
xi. Fig 11: Mechanical Safety Interlock System (Gear-box "Neutral Lock")
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 describes the general arrangement of the electric hybrid drive train of the motorcycle. This hybrid electric drive design is based on the fact, that the existing internal combustion engine drive train (Fig 1 (14)) up to rear wheel is kept unaltered while the front wheel Drive train (Fig 1 (1)) is driven by a BLDC electric hub motor which provides a direct drive to the front wheel, thus resulting in a parallel hybrid. The major parts of this electric hybrid drive train comprise of combined accelerator control (Fig 1 (7)) which is custom build, the Controller unit (Fig 1 (32)), the Electric Motor (Fig 1 (4)) mounted on the suspension provided through the custom build shock absorber suspension (Fig 1 (2)), which is provided with additional stiffening members (Fig 3 (26) & Fig 4 (26)) that are custom designed and build. The electric power is derived from the battery banks (Fig 1 (16), (18)) mounted into the holding cases on the rear of the motorcycle, thus maintaining the new additions within the bodyline of the vehicle and preserving the bilateral symmetry of loads for balancing. Battery charging point is located (Fig 1 (19)) at a very convenient and easy accessible point on the vehicle and charging is done by an external 5A charger. The custom build cable harness (Fig 1 (15)) provided under the rider's seat is for the power & control circuits and regeneration circuit of the controller (Fig 1 (32)), the combined accelerator (Fig 1 (7)), brake safety switch interlock (Fig 1 (8) & 1 (9)), neutral gear safety switch (Fig 1 (12)), the regeneration mode on and off switch (Fig 1 (73)), charging circuit and vehicle operations. Custom designed Mud Guard (Fig 1 (21)) avoids mechanical damage and interferences.
Figures 3, 4, 5 & 10 show the direct electric drive mounted in the front wheel and the front suspension assembly while Figure 6 shows the detailed attachments of the motor. The BLDC Hub Motor (Fig 3 (4) & 4 (4)) is mounted on the custom designed steering and shock absorber system with the help of shock absorber spring units (Fig 5 (2)) and the stiffener plates (Fig 3 (26) & 4 (26)). The arrestor plates (Fig 3 (22), Fig

4 (48) & Fig 10 (22), 10 (48)) and its fasteners are provided to arrest the accidental rotation of the motor axle (Fig 6 (46)), which needs to be fixed, thereby allowing only rim and the tire (Fig 1 (20)) to rotate with full traction power and maintaining the dynamics and steering control. The Motor axle is securely held in position using the nuts and locknuts (Fig 3 (23) & 3 (24)). The front suspension assembly comprises of the pivot (Fig 3 (35)), the existing support plate (Fig 3 (37)), the modified links (Fig 3 (34), 4 (34) & 10 (34)), the custom designed support plates (Fig 3 (36) & 3 (33)) and the shock absorber spring units (Fig 5 (2)). The drive from the wheel is transmitted to the vehicle in the following manner- from BLDC motor (Fig 3 (4) & 4 (4)) to arrestor plates (Fig 3 (22) & Fig 4 (48)) then through pair of stiffener plates (Fig 3 (26), 4 (26) & 10 (26)) to the front suspension assembly and from the front suspension assembly to the chassis of the vehicle and hence the vehicle.
Front brakes and speedometer sensors (Fig 3 (29); Fig 4 (51) & 4 (52)) are provided on the motor (Fig 3 (4) & 4 (4)). Digital speed sensing by a sensor ring (Fig 4 (52)) and a speed sensor (Fig 4 (51)) mounted on stiffener plates (Fig 3 (26) & 4 (26)) is used to measure the speed as the custom solution to the mechanical speedometer, which is removed to accommodate the motor drive assembly during the conversion of the vehicle to electric hybrid.
Figure 2 explains the uniquely designed electro-mechanical accelerator (Fig 1 (7)) that performs the function of accelerator for both electric and engine drives and hence gives ease of operation to the driver maintaining their driving habits. The grip (Fig 2 (53)) operates both electric and internal combustion engine accelerator in unison. The cable operated mechanical system (Fig 2 (55)) provides the accelerator function for the internal combustion engine. The magnetic coupling (Fig 2 (54)) and sensor (Fig 2 (60)) pass on signal to controller (Fig 8 (64)) and provides the accelerator function for the electric motor drive. Thus hybrid operation through the common accelerator is easily achieved. The custom designed body parts (Fig 2 (57) & 2 (58)) act as a casing and impart strong support to the accelerator assembly. Safety lock screw (Fig 2 (56)) prevents accidental rotation of body.
Two independent electric key switches (Fig 1 (8) & 1 (9)) are provided to isolate electric and engine mode. Speed and other display parameters are shown on custom build instrument cluster (Fig 1 (11)).
Figures 8 & 9 show the motor controller and the controller housing assembly respectively. Motor controller assembly (Fig 1 (32) & 9 (32)) comprises of protective covers (Fig 9 (63) & 9 (67)), mounting brackets (Fig 8 (61) & 9 (61)), the MOSFET & PWM controller (Fig 8 (64)) and heat sink (Fig 9 (62)) with its cable harness connectors (Fig 8 (65) & 8 (66)). Block diagram for controller is shown in Figure 7. Motor reversal is permanently defeated in controller (Fig 8 (64)) to prevent motor reversal. This is due to the fact that the front wheel drive motor for two wheeler motorcycle should never go through reverse rotation of motor for the rider's safety. A Ik ohm pre charging resistor is added across the Mains contactor. Similarly, IK ohm resistor is also added across the key switch (Fig 1 (8)) for electric mode. Magnetically coupled accelerator (Fig 1 (7)) interacts with the controller (Fig 8 (64))

to give desired speed control. The controller provides the proportionate power as per the torque speed demand as directed by the accelerator. Thermister control is provided internally through this controller for the protection of the motor winding from over-heating during rotor lock situation. Thus protection interlocks are achieved. The safety interlock switch (Fig 1 (10)) prevents accidental running of motor while brakes are engaged. The brake lever (Fig 1 (59)) is used to actuate this switch (Fig 1 (10)). Further, the controller (Fig 8 (64)) provides a regeneration mode to conserve the free-wheeling rotational energy of the front wheel and also to regenerate during braking done by either front or rear wheel brakes, thereby charging the batteries. Thus this action is capable to further add extra miles as a result of regeneration.
When the motorcycle is to be run in electric mode it is essential that the gearbox connected to the IC engine stays in "neutral mode". This action has to be a fool proof system and is obtained by keeping the gear changing lever on the motorcycle locked in "neutral" position. The locking of the gear lever in "neutral" position is achieved with the help of a mechanical safety interlock system shown in Figure 11. The foot rest (Fig 11 (69)) acts as preventer for shifting of the gear lever. The pivot pin (Fig 11 (7.1)) provides the swing in-out operation for shifting from IC engine to electric mode and vice versa. The mounting bracket (Fig 11 (72)) supports the mechanism rigidly on the vehicle. This two position latch assembly positively locks the position of the foot rest for neutral gear as shown in (Fig 1 (12)). For the IC engine mode which means changing of gears through the gear lever is required, the foot rest can be rotated through 110 degrees to the second latching position. Thus this mechanical safety interlock system allows only one latching mode at a time imparting safe operation of the motorcycle by the rider.
Although this present invention has been described herein with respect to a number of specific illustrative embodiments, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate, rather than to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will realize that many modifications of the illustrative embodiment could be made which would be operable. All such modifications, which are within the scope of the claims, are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

CLAIMS
We claim,
1. The concept of the electric drive train that can be used to convert an existing petrol engine driven motorcycle to plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle by mounting the electric drive train in the front wheel and that can run in either electric or IC engine mode independently;
2. The design of an electric drive train for a plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the BLDC hub motor is mounted in the front wheel of the motorcycle and it is providing a direct drive in the front wheel;
3. The design of an electric drive train for a plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle according to claim 2, wherein there is a uniquely designed electro-mechanical accelerator that in a single assembly provides function of accelerator for both internal combustion engine and electric drive;
4. The design of an electric drive train for a plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle according to claim 2, wherein there is a gearbox locking mechanism which consists of a foot rest that mechanically locks the gearbox of IC engine in "neutral mode" when the vehicle is in electric drive mode;
5. The design of an electric drive train for a plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle according to claim 2, wherein the controller is placed in the front suspension fork of the motorcycle and it's casing assembly that is designed to provide adequate mounting capability for the controller and give sufficient protection and ventilation to the controller;
6. The design of an electric drive train for a plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle according to claim 2, wherein the front suspension design of the existing motorcycle is redesigned and consists of an arrangement of support plates and linkages, arrestor plates to prevent accidental rotation of motor axle and pair of stiffener plates that help in the transmission of the drive to propel the vehicle;
7. The design of an electric drive train for a plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle according to claim 2, wherein the battery pack is mounted in holding cases on either side of the vehicle in the rear of the vehicle, thereby preserving the bilateral symmetry of weight in order to maintain centre of gravity in the same longitudinal plane as that of the existing motorcycle;
8. The design of an electric drive train for a plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle according to claim 2, wherein the freewheeling front wheel of the standard IC engine driven motorcycle is now a drive element providing drive during the electric mode and acting as a generator to charge the batteries while in regeneration mode;
9. A plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle comprising of an electric drive train according to claim 2, wherein the BLDC hub motor is mounted in the front wheel of the motorcycle and it is providing a direct drive in the front wheel;

10. A plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle comprising of an electric drive train according to claim 9, wherein there is a uniquely designed electro-mechanical accelerator that in a single assembly provides function of accelerator for both internal combustion engine and electric drive;
11. A plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle comprising of an electric drive train according to claim 9, wherein there is a gearbox locking mechanism which consists of

a foot rest that mechanically locks the gearbox of IC engine in "neutral mode" when the vehicle is in electric drive mode;
12. A plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle comprising of an electric drive train according to claim 9, wherein the controller is placed in the front suspension fork of the motorcycle and it's casing assembly that is designed to provide adequate mounting capability for the controller and give sufficient protection and ventilation to the controller;
13. A plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle comprising of an electric drive train according to claim 9, wherein the front suspension design of the existing motorcycle is redesigned and consists of an arrangement of support plates and linkages, arrestor plates to prevent accidental rotation of motor axle and pair of stiffener plates that help in the transmission of the drive to propel the vehicle;
14. A plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle comprising of an electric drive train according to claim 9, wherein the battery pack is mounted in holding cases on either side of the vehicle in the rear of the vehicle thereby preserving the bilateral symmetry of loads for maintain balance of the motorcycle;
15. A plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle comprising of an electric drive train according to claim 9, wherein the BLDC hub motor is mounted in the front wheel of the motorcycle and it is providing a direct drive in the front wheel.