Over the last seven days we have had several news stories about Renault’s green advancements – but its fellow French manufacturer Peugeot is determined not to be left behind.

At the Milan International Cycle and Motorbike Show, the company unveiled a three-wheel drive hybrid scooter concept known as the Hybrid3 Evolution. It delivers 49bhp of power and has fuel consumption at 118mpg while emitting just 48g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the combined cycle.

The Hybrid3 Evolution is a high powered version of the Hybrid3 Compressor that was originally unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It is roofless and includes electric motors in each of the two front wheels as well a naturally aspirated engine at the rear. There are no mechanical connections between the front and the rear – instead everything is controlled electronically.

It includes a supercharged petrol engine that provides the rear wheel drive with an output of 41bhp; while the two electric wheel motors are powered by lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged during deceleration and braking.

The Hybrid3 Evolution takes its name because it can be driven in three different modes: electric only, with a range up to 10km; petrol only at stable speeds on the open roads; and petrol/electric as required by the road conditions. Among its green features is a stop & start system that places the engine on standby when the vehicle is at a standstill or when driven in electric mode.

According to Peugeot, this hybrid technology will be vital in the future and could be applied in several different forms with naturally aspirated engines, different electric solutions and on any type of vehicle. From 2011, the Hybrid4 3008 will be the first of the group’s vehicles to be sold with an HDi engine at the front and an electric motor at the rear.