Piaggio launches PHEV MP3 Scooter

[Fibb222]

Originally Posted by JSH

As the scooter decelerates the CVT adjusts to lower and lower gear ratios. This is so that if the rider suddenly decides to accelerate the CVT has the correct ratio selected and their is no pause or lurch. This also provides engine braking which makes the scooter seem more like a traditional motorcycle.

The ability to coast for long periods of time with minimal engine braking is not a trait that the vehicle is optimized for.

As a note, I didn't feel the MP3 had very strong engine braking. It is nothing like twin cylinder or single cylinder motorcycle. However, coming from the Prius it would seem strong.

Yeah not horribly strong but if the light is red ahead you have to give it gas till you're pretty much all the way there. That disappointed me. I love to glide in my Prius.

[drees]

Originally Posted by Fibb222

Yeah not horribly strong but if the light is red ahead you have to give it gas till you're pretty much all the way there. That disappointed me. I love to glide in my Prius.

Don't forget that besides the CVT in scooters which tend to be very simple and tied to road speed more than would be ideal for optimal fuel economy as JSH mentions, but scooters are also very light and not aerodynamic at all. Which basically means that at speeds over 20mph you will very quickly lose speed .

Get on your bicycle and pedal as fast as you can - you might be able to touch 30mph - 35mph if you are a decent rider and once you stop pedalling you will quickly slow to below 20mph. But once you get down to 10mph or so, you will find that you can coast quite a while if the road is flat.

On a scooter (or motorcycle), the parasitic drag of the CVT and engine combined with low weight/inertia compared to a car make it that much worse.

[hill]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

And considering you can get 72mpg in the Prius (3.9L/100km or 60mpg US) over a tank. The PHEV should be better.

. . . and if you get T boned or rear ended by someone doing 45mph in the Prius, you suffer a lot less injuries. Getting stuck in a surprise downpour while in the Prius is less bothersome as well. But that's just me picky picky picky. You'd never know my mc license has been active for over 3 decades.

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[PriuStorm]

The engine braking on a scooter is something you get used to, account for, and incorporate in your riding. But it also introduces a safety liability in addition to the mentioned fuel economy ones. If using the engine braking only to stop for a light, the driver behind you may not realize you are slowing. Managing the engine braking not only requies a feather touch on the throttle at all time, but it requires constant monitoring of the rearview mirror and tapping/dragging the brake just slightly to engage the brake lights to alert potential drivers behind you.