Piaggio&c. S.p.a.

Universita′ Di Pisa

Luigi Arnone

Maurizio Marcacci

Emilio Vitale

Giovanni Riggio

Francesco Frendo

A hybrid drive assembly () for a vehicle having at least one drive wheel (), the drive assembly including an internal combustion engine (); a transmission unit () interposed between a drive shaft () of the internal combustion engine () and a propeller shaft () connected angularly to the drive wheel (), and in turn including a continuously variable transmission () having a drive pulley () connected angularly to the drive shaft () and a driven pulley (), and a centrifugal clutch () having a hub () connected to the driven pulley, and a driven bell () connected to the propeller shaft (); and an electric machine () having a rotor () integral with the bell () of the centrifugal clutch (). The drive assembly () is controlled by a control unit (), in response to a number of input signals (Ss, Sa, Sf), in a number of operating modes including an all-combustion propulsion mode, an all-electric propulsion mode, a first hybrid propulsion mode wherein the internal combustion engine () and the electric machine () are connected in series, and a second hybrid propulsion mode wherein the internal combustion engine () and the electric machine () are connected in parallel.

Growing community of inventors

Naples, Italy

Luigi Arnone