Peugeot HYmotion3 Compressor concept is high tech, low risk

An eco-friendly future might be right around the corner, and on Peugeot's HYmotion3 Compressor concept scooter you can take that corner with just the right balance of safety and power. At 29bhp, this new prototype gets 118 MPG thanks to its hybrid powertrain, and is quite stable with two wheels in front and one behind. In the event that you do lose control, you'll be protected by a BMW C1-esque roll cage. That's three techs borrowed from predecessors, plus the added benefit of three-wheel drive. Most advanced hybrid scooter yet? Maybe, but it's just a concept, so if you're looking to stand out like a sore but oh-so-energy-efficient thumb on the road, you're outta luck for the time being.

[Via Digg]

[x3qt0r @ Oct 8th 2008 5:44AM]

It would look so much better without the "shelter".

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 8th 2008 8:15AM]

Yeah, the shelter makes it too cramped up !!

[jorvay @ Oct 8th 2008 9:35AM]

the "shelter" is also a roll-cage.

[bangladeshiluv @ Oct 8th 2008 12:32PM]

i dont think this thing rolls other than forward

you'll probably be thrown out if you get hit.

[Patrick R @ Oct 8th 2008 1:45PM]

dude i agree. it is totally awesome, but i would have to go without the top.
rock on! id totally buy one

[loosely_coupled @ Oct 8th 2008 5:13PM]

I agree. Check out the Piaggio MP3 scooter. Yeah I know, stupid name, but excellent bike.

http://www.piaggiousa.com/pScooters/MP3.cfm

[triacontahedron @ Oct 9th 2008 12:40PM]

I would say shelter is not "sheltery" enough. Look at the picture closely. Who do you see? Right, a guy and a girl in business suites. So as far as I understand the target audience for this scooter are office workers (it will be probably expensive so blue collar folks wont be able to afford it). The shelter shown on the picture wont protect you and your nice clothes from dirty water splashes created by passing cars. So there are 2 options: either loose the shelter and put a guy in a leather jacket/pants on it or create some kind of all around enclosure.

[Techie @ Oct 8th 2008 5:45AM]

The road cage isn't going to work if you start flying out of it. Dear god! Look at those huge gap!

[ro @ Oct 8th 2008 6:37AM]

errr... if it's like the BMW you have a lap and diagonal belt keeping you inside the cage. It worked quite well for them. And unlike the C1 the passenger is inside the roll cage/weather protection.

Once again proving that only Europeans have *any idea* about how to travel around a city.

Zoom, zoom , Yankee bro's :-)

[Le Big Mac @ Oct 8th 2008 8:57AM]

I liked the C1 . . . .but will Puegeot realize that the C1 didn't sell very well, cool as the idea was?

I would have loved to have a C1, but no soup for you in the US

[macfly @ Oct 8th 2008 5:47AM]

ever seen this http://www.piaggiousa.com/pScooters/MP3.cfm
it's been around a while, I've seen a few in Rome this summer

[Alexander @ Oct 8th 2008 5:59AM]

What's special about this (and pissing German authorities off) is the fact that this thing can be driven with a usual driver's license w/out the need of a special scooter license, which in Germany you need for 2-wheel-scooters that can go faster than ~30 m/h.

[max @ Oct 8th 2008 6:18AM]

Oh god it comes from France
It must suck like everything else from France I have owned
like my Peugeot 102 sp moped that fucking sucked balls.
Harsh but true

[ro @ Oct 8th 2008 6:38AM]

max...

No it didn't 'suck balls'. You're just being silly. C'mon, fess up.

Myopic and bigoted.

[macfly @ Oct 8th 2008 6:56AM]

Peugeot cars are pretty good, they crap out as far as mopeds or scooters in generals, no match for Piaggio (who practically invented scooters)

[warmonger @ Oct 8th 2008 7:32AM]

Going to war without the french is like going hunting without your accordion.

[jorvay @ Oct 8th 2008 9:39AM]

Okay, what is with the American tradition of hating the French? I'm not trying to argue, I just honestly have no idea where this started.

[ro @ Oct 8th 2008 10:03AM]

Personally, I think the 'tradition' is fun. After all, the French are fairly irritating. But they do good stuff - nice bread and pastries for one. And Paris is a fun place to hang out if you like looking at well-dressed girls.

Here in Viet Nam we have the French to thank for some nice buildings and for the Sofitel on Le Duan, which is the only place in Sai Gon you can go for a decent lunch. If they'd import Peugeot mo'bikes I'd happily dump my asthmatic Honda Airblade and ride something with style AND speed.

And Airblades are still faster than Piaggio's... or Vespas... or Yamahas....

[bangladeshiluv @ Oct 8th 2008 12:34PM]

French are UnAmerican!

[neothespian @ Oct 8th 2008 6:42AM]

Meh, colour me not impressed.

Now, I DO did the canopy concept. And for those of you ignorant to the world of motorcycling, that is NOT supposed to protect you in an accident (The LAST thing you want to do is be around a bike when it wrecks. All training classes tell you to ditch the bike, since you should be wearing a helmet and decent riding armour. Best to take a tumble and a bit of road rash than to be caught up in or under the wreckage. Survived a DUI accident like that and literally walked away. A bike is replacable. A knee or skull...not so much). But, what the canopy is good for is protection from incliment weather and improved aerodynamics. Granted there's the "wind in the face" thrill factor, but for an everyday commuter I can deal with a bit of shielding from the rain and the bugs!

But, I expect more from Peugeot.

The Piaggio MP3, which is this HEAVILY borrowed from, in it's smallest configuration (a 250cc LEADER liquid cooled single cylinder CVT driven transmission with alloy block/head) gets about 70 to 75mpg if driven conservatively. This I know, because it's the same motor they use in my Vespa GTS 250ie, which would weigh about the same considering that it's all steel as opposed to the Peugeot's composite body. the LX50, a 50cc variant, can pull 90mpg. granted 29hp is a long way from the 9hp -/+ that the LX50 produces, but to only gain 40mpg off of the larger motor that could be used in this bike from it's non-hybrid bretheren seems to be a bit.... well... underwhelming. And, that's if they decide to use a 250. Odds are that it's going to have a 125cc LEADER air cooled mill, which would get better mileage. Most hybrid cars can double their average output when compared to their single-milled sedan counterparts. SUV hybrids aren't as good, but they have a massive weigh issue to contend with. I don't see how the Peugeot can weigh too much more than the MP3250 or Vespa GTS250ie when comparing possible materials.

Then again, this is all just conjecture since, like most bike builders, Peugeot does not and will not sell this in the US. They have AWESOME scooters (look up the "Speedfight". Awesomeness in a bike 1/2 the size of the ones it races against), but they see the US as a bunch of inbred rednecks who think that Harley Davidson is the pinnacle of technology... that only gets 40mpg based off of a 90 YEAR OLD frame design! Efficent bikes and cars are not WANTED in the US, because it's only when we started paying half of what the rest of the world has been for fuel that we started clamoring for them.

Would this scooter sell well in the US? No. Not because of quality mind you, but because of the stigma of scooters in the US. I still get people who are amazed that I pass them on the freeway on my Vespa, and they STILL keep calling it a "moped"!!!! Mopeds have 50cc's or LESS and ...well...pedals. Then again, these are the same people who think you don't need a motorcycle licence or plates for them, even when it's faster than the rest of the 250cc "traditional" motorcycles in it's class. You could triple the mileage, and the average American will still scoff because they're ego is too big. You can triple the horsepower, and add all the bells and whistles on it, but again... if it's not a Harley or a "busa", they'll scoff because of ego.

A shame really, because I REALLY have a soft spot in my heart for canopy bikes. The rest of my friends think I'm daft, but I think they're nifty in a way.

No way in hell I'd get rid of my GTS for one, but if I could afford it I'd buy one to keep the Vespa company. They'll use a ton of the same parts anyways...

[macfly @ Oct 8th 2008 7:01AM]

ditto

i drive a piaggio Hexagon 250, tops at 120Km/h and (if I keep speeds to a reasonable 90Km/h) get almost 300Km on a full tank (10 liters)

(sorry for the metric, I'm in australia, we dropped the imperial crap in 1966)

[Jon Nelson @ Oct 8th 2008 4:13PM]

I've wanted another scooter since I was 13, and I finally got one about a month and a half ago. The first was a 1986 Honda Spree that died about a month after I bought it (I only paid $100, so it's not that big of a deal). And I just got a new Flyscooters La Vie 150cc, although I can't imagine many people have heard of them.

In any case, I agree with everything you said, save the part about clamoring for scoots now because of gas prices ;)

[Absinthe_Nishi @ Oct 8th 2008 6:44AM]

um, is it just me or is the picture of a 2-wheeled scooter as opposed to the 3-wheeled one being talked about in the article!?

[jorvay @ Oct 8th 2008 9:42AM]

Understandable mistake. It's got two front wheels, not two back wheels. The other front wheel is obviously hidden on the other side of the trike.

[Cybergypsy @ Oct 8th 2008 7:02AM]

Not into becoming a organ donor.......

[noyp @ Oct 8th 2008 9:00AM]

That's fine. They didn't want your organs anyway you selfish man.

[noyp @ Oct 8th 2008 9:00AM]

That's fine. They didn't want your organs anyway you selfish man.

[yode @ Oct 8th 2008 7:12AM]

So if 2 men were to ride this, are they always going to "spoon"?

[neothespian @ Oct 8th 2008 7:31AM]

Again...this is why fuel efficient bikes will fail in the US because of ignorant American attitudes.

"Oh no! Motorcycles are unsafe!"
-Do you realize that, machine for machine, motorcycles have LESS fatal accidents than cars? Also, insurance premiums for bikes in most developed nations are nearly one FIFTH the cost of a 4 wheeled car? Everyone always seems to have a story about how they "knew this guy who had his head severed clear off!" in a motorcycle accident, but neglects to mention the 3 or 4 people that he or she knows that were killed or severely injured in a car accident? It's selective fear.

Also, in car accidents, as with bike accidents, it's not the initial impact that does the damage. It's "secondary impact": Collisions with the interior of the car, and then your internal organs colliding with your body because they're still in motion, encased in fluids, even if your exterior body is no longer moving. By riders "ditching" the bike, they are minimalising the impact their bodies face in the initial collision.

Also, when you DO see a serious accident on a bike, tell me: How many of those riders were actually wearing a helmet? Very few I would wager. Safety gear goes a long way in protection. I know: I was hit at 70mph broadside and still made it home alive. Yes, I had a broken leg, but compared to the sedan the DUI hit AFTER my bike... 3 of the 4 passengers in the other car were killed. Nothing replaces an armoured jacket, helmet and a set of eyes with a brain behind it.

For me, I refuse to ride in many new cars because they are ENCASED in explosives that are supposed to "keep you safe", aka "airbags". The last car I was in a year ago that had one of these bastards go off broke my nose! I hardly see how THAT was "keeping me safe" especially when we only rear ended the guy at 20mph! I STILL got whiplash to boot...of course, this was a Saab that had a recall on the headrests not working properly. Found out why they had that recall the hard way.

"Does this mean two guys have to spoon..."
-Seriously, if all you can think about is a homoerotic reference when you talk about motorcycles, you really got other issues than high fuel costs. There is the American egotist at work. God forbid that someone might think that it's suggested that we possibly in some fashion MIGHT be in close proximity with another person of the same sex....so let's slam the bike that MAY lead to a POSSIBLE conclusion by other homophobic types who MAY see this bike with me in it.

Americans want fuel efficient cars and bikes, but only if they can get it in their SUV's and Dodge Challengers! And, dear GOD if it's French...because we have a bigotry we have to uphold even if French car and bike makers have given up on the US market as a dead market.

You as a country want fuel efficient rides... well here ya go! Don't say that automakers aren't listening: America doesn't want them, never has, and from the looks of the posts...they never will. Just a nation of whiners.

[yode @ Oct 8th 2008 7:48AM]

Wow you have GOT to be kidding me. You basically typed out an essay about American standards and their "egotistic" ways, all because I made a joke about the picture. And why are you using an electronics blog as a census for "America". Dumbass.

[scott @ Oct 8th 2008 7:51AM]

wow, what an incredibly ignorant statement of the american people.Did you ever consider that there's less motorcycle deaths because there's less motorcycles? As for insurance, it's less due to the less amount of liability it holds. A maximum of 2 people instead of 4 and the fact that it's smaller than a car, thus causing less damage if it were to impact something. you're obviously a person who has no grasp on what humor is, such as yode's SARCASTIC statement. I wish I could meet you in person to give you a swift kick in the nuts.

[Information Central @ Oct 8th 2008 8:39AM]

"motorcycles have LESS fatal accidents than cars"

Did you realize that LESS is not interchangeable with FEWER?

Do you ask for FEWER butter on your toast? Do high prices mean you have FEWER gas in your tank?

Motorcycles may have fewer fatal accidents, but so what? How about non-fatal but maiming?

[bamboo @ Oct 8th 2008 8:35AM]

Actually yode, like it or not he is telling the truth.

And as for you, go post your homoerotic fantasy somewhere else. I don't read the comments at engadget to listen to people try and make stupid gay jokes in hopes of making people think their cool. I read it the comments to find out more information about the gadget, and posts like yours waste everyone's time.

And have no fear about the close proximity of my post to yours, I'm happily married.

[yode @ Oct 8th 2008 7:13PM]

it seems people have lost their sense of humor nowadays.

[Nuclear Fire @ Oct 8th 2008 7:40AM]

I'd like to see the hood be detachable so that I could go without unless it's raining. Of course, I'm just a bigoted, myopic, redneck American who drives a scooter to work every day.

[ro @ Oct 8th 2008 9:23AM]

*blinks*

How. Many. Times?

It's NOT a hood, nor was it a hood on BMW's C1, despite what Piaggio man says.. It was/is part of a structural safety cage. And it worked. Very well.

But I LOVE the fuss over 'gay' comments. You cuties in Yankeeland are SO politically correct you jump at your own shadows. Boo!

[bamboo @ Oct 8th 2008 8:39AM]

I read the article and when this was posted at autoblog-green, but can't find details on top speed. I have a short commute, and this could work well, but I don't want to be one of the guys I see everyday that are on a scooter that only hits 35mph. I know the Piaggio MP3 mentioned above can go pretty fast, well over the speed limit, so I hope this one can too.

[Jon Nelson @ Oct 8th 2008 4:20PM]

50cc engine: roughly 30-35mph given a person's bodyweight
150cc engine: roughly 55-60 given a person's weight (Mine gets up to 50 and I weigh about 240)
250cc engine: 75-80+

And the acceleration between the three are MASSIVELY different.

[htd @ Oct 8th 2008 9:22AM]

is it just me? I only see one wheel at the front.

[ro @ Oct 8th 2008 9:44AM]

If anyone is SERIOUSLY interested in the mo'bike safety cage principle, go check out the 'bmw c1 crash test' vids on youtube.

But then proof of sound design principles never ranks highly over ill-informed or wildly opinionated nonsense. Else why would people buy iPhones?

[iEye @ Oct 8th 2008 9:49AM]

I would prefer a more stable 3 wheel design, the CARVER for example

[Bill Mchale @ Oct 8th 2008 9:51AM]

Neothespian,
Yes, on a vehicle to vehicle comparison, the accident rate amongst Motorcycles is lower than amongst cars, but as Mark Twain once said, "There are three kinds of lies; lies, damn lies and statistics". What I mean here is that the devil is in the details.

Yes an individual motorcycle is less likely to be in an accident than a car but:
1. The motorcycle is, on average, driven about 1/6th as many miles.
2. On per mile basis the motorcycle has an accident rate twice as high as a car.
3. While the number of deaths for bike riders is lower than car riders/drivers, the actual death rate (in accidents) for the bike is
roughly 4 times as great.
4. Of course motor cycle insurance is going to be lower; the vehicles are worth less, and can do less damage to other people;
auto insurance doesn't pay the life insurance claims of the rider.

I also find it ironic that you attack the anecdotal evidence that people have said about bike rider deaths but then use one yourself to support your claim about the dangers of air bags. This despite the fact that statistics have consistently shown that airbags have saved lots of lives. And BTW, if you think that the airbag hurt; what do you think it would have felt like if your nose hit the dash?

Don't get me wrong, I think motorcycles can and should have a place on the road. I just want to make sure that no one is under the illusion that somehow current motorcycles are safer than cars; they are not.

--
Bill

--
Bill

[fistpittingnork @ Oct 8th 2008 10:55AM]

"a set of eyes with a brain behind it"

"rear ended the guy at 20mph"

lol

[Benson @ Oct 8th 2008 9:48PM]

You don't understand; the problem is, when he was in a car, her brain was in the passenger seat, not behind him.

[eleefece @ Oct 8th 2008 11:33AM]

Why this prototype vehicles doesn´t have any doors, they don´t consider the fact that we drive under the rain.

[jorvay @ Oct 8th 2008 11:43AM]

Exactly what's been holding me back on these. My little hatchback is great on gas and cheap to insure. Ever since the demise of 6-month motorcycle insurance plans in Ontario, the cost of buying a motorcycle, insuring it, and fueling it far outweighs the added cost of using a small car year-round. It's probably also true environmentally. If you have to have a car for the winter, then buying a second vehicle just means more resources put into production and shipping of that vehicle. If I lived in a climate that allowed me to use one of these year-round though, I'd be very tempted to get one instead of a car and just rent a car or hail a taxi on the very very rare occasions where I actually need the extra room.

[Steve @ Oct 8th 2008 12:03PM]

nice idea.... but it's a death-trap.
the last thing you want when sliding down a dual carriageway on your side at 40mph with your leg between the bike and the road is a stealbelt stopping you from parting ways with the bike... and to top it all off, there's a roof over your head to ensure you can't just let go of the bike and let it career towards the oncomming lorry.

...no, with this baby, you'll get an up-close, frontseat view from your secure seatbelt and sheltered riding position as your leg is trapped by the bike and the lorry is fast approaching to crush you.

No thanks. I'll stick with getting wet on a regular motorbike and being able to let go of it if i happen to end up sliding down the road on my side.

[Einwiwi @ Oct 8th 2008 1:01PM]

Hmm, boring ... an almost 1:1 copy of the BMW C1.

[d00b @ Oct 8th 2008 1:50PM]

How would you lift that bike if it falls over, with the canopy in the way?

Understanding the aero benefits of canopies & fairings, but that canopy looks dangerous to me. As somebody else said, if you see an accident coming, the first thing is to ditch the bike, and I can't see that canopy helping.

[Bad Beaver @ Oct 8th 2008 1:57PM]

Like it. Much like the C1, which was also cool, but with no need to strap the second passenger to the outside of the cabin (as with the C1), thereby exposing them to ultimate humiliation. These cabin scooters are perfect for the narrow urban environments of Europe.