Search Results

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is a well-known active safety technology widely used in cars. Recently, it has become a mandatory safety feature for two-wheelers. In principle, ABS ensures an optimum braking performance by not allowing the tire to slip beyond a certain level. This guarantees steering stability and peak braking performance of the tire during panic braking situations. As the ABS controller depends on the tire characteristics information for its algorithm, a change in tire or pavement can vary the optimum operating range of ABS. In addition to this, motorcycle tires differ from a car tire in terms of its construction, dimension and compound. Therefore, the motorcycle tire’s performance envelope cannot be directly compared to a car tire. This work presents a methodology which aims to acquire the tire-road friction characteristics of three different tires for a study motorcycle on different friction surfaces through experimentation and estimation techniques.

Personal mobility is evolving in the emerging markets, where the primary need for transportation is met with two wheelers. This reflects on the annual production volumes, which is forecasted to reach 160 million units by 2021[1]. Around 28% of this volume belong to electric two wheelers from China and the remaining are predominantly Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). With the regulators across the globe planning to enforce stricter emission norms in order to improve the air quality and owing to similar demand from the end customers, there is a need for technology to evolve towards harnessing the best energy efficiency using multiple technologies/architectures. However, considering that the majority of two wheelers are used by a population which is cost sensitive, it is imperative that efficient topologies need to be made available at affordable costs. The authors attempt to decipher this need for personal mobility coupled with the stringent regulations.

Urban transportation significantly contributes towards the rapid deterioration of air quality in the Indian cities. Growing affordability has resulted in an increased two wheeler population across India. The Indian government has instituted introduction of emission legislation in phases to mitigate the impact on environment due to the increased growth. As a signatory to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) Global Technical Regulation (GTR)-2, the Worldwide Harmonized Motorcycle Test cycle (WMTC) will be adopted as a standard test cycle for emission assessment beginning 2016. This cycle development was based on the collection and analysis of driving behavior data and statistical information about motorcycles used in three different regions (Europe, Japan and USA).

Fuel economy of two-wheelers is an important factor influencing the purchasing psychology of the consumer within the emerging markets. Additionally, air pollution being a major environmental topic, there is a rising concern about vehicle emissions, especially in the big cities and their metropolitan areas. Potentially, the relatively expensive engine management systems are providing more features and value in comparison to the carburettor counterpart. The combustion system analysis is carried out on a 125 cm3 motorcycle engine and the subsequent numerical simulation comparing the carburettor and the Electronic (Port) Fuel Injection which provides a basis to establish the fuel consumption benefit for the electronic injection systems [1].