Can-Am Spyder Hybrid Roadster Development Update [Video]

It’s been about a year since Bombardier Recreational Products announced it was developing a hybrid version of the Can-Am Spyder Roadster. Developed in partnership with the Advanced Technology Center at Sherbrooke University in Quebec and with funding from the Government of Canada, the hybrid Spyder is an ambitious project for BRP.

We met up with Scott MacWilliam from BRP at the Toronto Motorcycle Show to take a look at a working prototype of the Can-Am’s hybrid three-wheeler. The Can-Am Spyder Hybrid project is still early in its development, just a year into the projected four-year program, but MacWilliam says BRP is on track of its performance goals.

Those goals include reducing emissions by 50% and increasing fuel efficiency by 50% compared to the combustion-powered version, while offering similar acceleration to the current Spyder 990 RS roadster.

BRP decided to equip the hybrid SPyder with a 600cc Rotax engine, the same engine powering BRP’s 2011 Ski-Doo snowmobiles which claims fuel consumption of 8 l/100 km (29.4 mpg). The gas-powered engine will be paired with a 20 kW electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery.

The Spyder Hybrid will be able to run in a purely electric mode, with BRP aiming for a top speed of 30 mph and a range of 20 miles. BRP hopes to achieve a total range of 375 miles using both the electric motor and internal combustion engine.

We’re looking forward to hearing more about the Can-Am Spyder Hybrid Roadster in the years to come, and hope it won’t be too long before we can see one on the road.

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By Dennis Chung