Honda unveils its electric motorcycle and electric scooters: it makes you want

According to Nick Ziraldo, project manager and manager of the design engineering unit at Honda, the Motocompacto was designed with ” security, sustainability and security in mind »». Originally imagined as a complement to a vehicle, the Motocompacto should surely find its own place within the range of scooters and electric motorcycles from Honda, rather than serving as an accessory to an electric vehicle. However, the modest scooter performance may well limit its appeal to those looking for something more robust to hold the daily shock.

Motocompacto: Back to the future with this Honda electric scooter

Honda reconnects with its past with the release of the Motocompacto, an electric version of the Motocombo foldable scooter from the 80s ! This new scooter is an electrical option for city trips which may well have some success with original design enthusiasts.

With its square and white design, the motorcycle will not go unnoticed ! The vehicle, with a weight of 18.7 kg, can be folded to measure barely 9.4 cm wide, which makes it transportable and practical to store the vehicle in a corner. Its aluminum frame and wheels, as well as its compact design make it light enough to be transported in a vehicle or in public transport.

Original design, back performance

However, do not expect exceptional performance. The front wheel engine displays a power of 490 W, and the maximum speed of the scooter is 25 km/h. The battery life is also limited to around 20 km, for a 3.5 hour charging time. The Motocompacto is equipped with a front and rear LED lighthouse, side reflectors and a loop loop in welded steel on the crutch, compatible with most anti -thefts.

According to Nick Ziraldo, project manager and manager of the design engineering unit at Honda, the Motocompacto was designed with ” security, sustainability and security in mind »». Originally imagined as a complement to a vehicle, the Motocompacto should surely find its own place within the range of scooters and electric motorcycles from Honda, rather than serving as an accessory to an electric vehicle. However, the modest scooter performance may well limit its appeal to those looking for something more robust to hold the daily shock.

The Motocompacto is part of Honda’s broader vision for a transition to electric vehicles and with fuel cell by 2040. According to Jane Nakagawa, R&D vice-president of the Honda American subsidiary, the vehicle presents ” A fun, innovative and unexpected aspect of our wider electrification strategy »». The scooter will be sold from November at a price less than $ 995, exclusively on the Honda website and at Honda and Acura dealerships.

The Motocombo, an ephemeral star of the Honda catalog in the 80s, was a small petrol engine scooter designed to be foldable and transportable. It was specifically developed to be stored in the trunk of the small Honda City car, which allowed drivers to park on the outskirts of a city and continue their journey on a scooter.

The motorcycle weighed less than 45 kg and was equipped with a two -stroke engine of 49 cc. Despite its innovative character and compact design, the Motocombo has not met with great commercial success and its marketing has stopped after two years. The vehicle remains, however, a symbol of ingenuity in urban mobility and occupies a place of choice in automotive nostalgia.

Honda unveils its electric motorcycle and electric scooters: it makes you want

On the program for the Japanese manufacturer Honda: no less than ten motorcycles and electric scooters planned over the next three years. The objective ? Reach carbon neutrality during the 2040s.

Will Honda ‘energy transition be faster in the universe of two-wheelers than in that of the four wheels ? Chances are the calendar advanced by Honda concerning its future models of 100 % electric motorcycles.

The Japanese firm has just announced a large product plan with At least ten models of motorcycle and electric scooters worldwide by 2025 And aims to bring annual electricity sales to one million units over the next five years, and 3.5 million units (15 % of total sales) from 2030.

An electric two-wheeler for all types of customers

Honda does not intend to impose electric on its customers, several thermal models will remain in the catalog and several new features equipped with a combustion engine will arrive in the coming years. Honda wishes to continue to offer bikers Pleasant vehicles to pilot, Even if technology is evolving and energies too.

It plans to get out of electric motorcycles and scooters for daily life, others for professionals, and others for leisure. But how will it be characterized in fact ? For professional two-wheelers, Honda will offer models in the Honda E series, including business bike, a vehicle already used by Japan Post and Vietnam Post Corporation for mail distribution. These models are equipped with exchangeable batteries, which solve the problems of autonomy and charging time.

For daily use, Honda will launch two new electric models between 2024 and 2025 in Asia, Europe and Japan. The brand has not given any indication regarding the models in question, but it could be a thermal equivalence in the Forza 125 and the X-ADV. The most right-wing model on the photo that illustrates the article seems to take up the current X-ADV lines, but modernized.

An electric X-ADV and a trendy CB600R ?

In parallel, Honda works on scooters and electric bikes (not VAEs, therefore without pedals at first glance), less powerful, but widely used on a daily basis, especially in China, where Honda has teamed up with local suppliers. Five compact and affordable electric two-wheelers should arrive by 2024 in Asia, Europe and Japan.

For the leisure category, Honda develops three large electric motorcycles for Japan, the United States and Europe between 2024 and 2025. These could be models teased on the illustration on the cover. At first glance, these models seem to resume the lines of the current Honda CB600R, a Mid-Size roadster which particularly appeals to young permits, but also not young.

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