Piaggio has further developed its hybrid scooter project, called the HyS, into something that is now starting to look and sound like it is production-ready. However no launch date has been announced - that may happen as the European show season starts this September/October.
What is unique about the set-up is that it relies on a conventional petrol engine for most of its performance, but has incorporated an electric motor in the transmission, which kicks in top provide an 85 per cent performance boost when the rider winds open the throttle. You also have the option of running the bike on electric power only, though the limited battery capacity means it will run for only about 20km. Still, that's enough to get a lot of people to work.
The batteries are charged by the petrol engine, and can be hooked up to mains power supply for boost that takes three hours.
Several prototypes have been built using the technology, including an X8, MP3 (pictured) and Vespa LX.
There is no indicator on pricing, but you could expect a premium to be attached to the machines.
See Piaggio.com