Motorcycle and scooter pollution: the future, as imagined by HondaBy Thierry WeylandHonda, the world's number one manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, took advantage of the Green Week organised by the European Commission in Brussels to present some of their solutions to global warming and forecasted petrol shortages. Although advancement has been more measured than in the automobile industry, there has nonetheless been significant two-wheel progress in response to the global warming issue. Honda and Toyota were the only motor vehicle manufacturers to participate in this year's Green Week (12-15 June), the European Commission's annual environmental event. In the midst of significant innovations presented by automobile companies (notably regarding hybrid vehicles and fuel cells), Honda, the world's largest two-wheel vehicle manufacturer (12.6 million sold in 2006; 150 million since the company's creation in 1948!), took the opportunity to present their own ideas for reducing the small role of motorbikes in global warming, such as tightening the belt on fuel consumption.  Scooter with an FC (fuel cell) Stack ŠT.Weyland / ViaMichelin The contextTwo-wheelers currently represent a third of the vehicles moving about the planet. Like that of motor cars (with 750 million in use in 2000), their total number is expected to double or even triple between now and 2030, particularly in developing countries. The direct consequence of this is that the greenhouse effect triggered by different causes, with excess C02 in the forefront, will likely follow suit; the effect on global warming is chillingly predictable. It is necessary, however, to relativize the responsibility of motorbikes, since on a global level they contribute a very minor share of the C02 emitted by motor vehicles. Honda intends to use innovative technology to reduce even this minor share yet further.  The Honda CBR 1100 XX, built with Variable Cylinder Management technology ŠT.Weyland / ViaMichelin Considerable progress has already been madeIn 1997, twenty-five years after the first anti-pollution technologies were applied to automobiles, Honda began to progressively phase out its two-stroke models in favour of those with the much cleaner and thriftier four-stroke engine. This immediately had favourable consequences in Asia, where two-wheeler pollution and fuel consumption have already decreased considerably. As early as 1998, Honda introduced electronic fuel injection and catalytic converters on motorcycles with high cc engines. In 2003, the same low-emissions technologies were applied to smaller bikes (50 to 150 cc), notably with the SH and Zoomer models.  The Honda CBR 1100 XX, built with Variable Cylinder Management technology ŠT.Weyland / ViaMichelin Goals for 2010Honda has defined precise objectives for 90% of their models world-wide by 2010: they intend to reduce two-wheeler C02 emissions by 10% as compared to their 2000 levels, and to reduce the C02 produced by the manufacturing process by 20%. In order to further reduce its two-wheeler fuel consumption, Honda intends to market bikes equipped with one of two distinct technologies: - For motorbikes with large 4-cylinder engines, the VCM (Variable Cylinder Management)system deactivates one or two cylinders according to immediate power needs, leading to 30% fuel economy. - Of the 3.5 million small cylinder bikes and scooters (50 to 150 cc) produced yearly, 90% are sold in developing countries. In the short term, Honda intends to offer Super Low Friction motors featuring a minimal level of internal friction and double ignition (dual spark plugs). This should reduce fuel consumption by 13% - an enormous reduction, given the size of the global market.  Scooter with an FC (fuel cell) Stack ŠT.Weyland / ViaMichelin Hybrid and fuel cell scooters at a standstill?Honda admits that it isn't currently working on specifically improving its Nemo (internal combustion and electricity powered hybrids) and FC Stack (scooters running on hydrogen fuel cells) prototypes. However, considering the progress that their R&D are currently making in the field of automobile energy alternatives, there is no doubt that two-wheelers will also benefit when the time is ripe. In harmony with the vision adopted in the Sustainable Mobility 2030 project, Honda is convinced that hydrogen will replace petrol in the long term, with a period where hybrid technologies will be applied and learned from until then... Engineers are already testing domestic-scale hydrogen-producing electrolysers that can fuel a vehicle as well provide household heat and electricity! Concerning motorbikes, Honda's first goal is to reduce their C02 emissions in developing countries. In more affluent nations, motorcyclists shopping for a bike tend to be less easily swayed by ecological arguments than car drivers. In any case, and beyond the problem of global warming, sooner or later the forecasted shortage of petrol will lead bikers to adopt alternative solutions already available to motorists (hybrid technology) or just around the corner (fuel cells). |
Motoring and Technology
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