Honda Neo Electric Scooter By Bashan (Read 456 times)

[Bashan]

Honda's first electric vehicle to hit the road in Europe will be a scooter. The auto manufacturer began testing its zero emissions scooter in Barcelona this week as part of a test program to help Honda analyze how the new technology performs with European driving patterns. The EV-neo is already available for lease in Japan, and the Barcelona City Council will be the first EU customers to receive the e-scooters. Driving at 18 mph, the Honda EV-neo has a range of 21 miles. It's not far, but the electric scooter comes with a portable rapid charger to replenish drained batteries to full capacity in 30 minutes. Unlike most rapid chargers, the EV-neo's fast charger uses a stepped-down method to charge the battery to 100 percent capacity. When connected to the scooter and a wall socket, the device, which is about the size of a large briefcase, uses high current charging to quickly replenish the battery until it's almost full, and switches to low-current charging to complete the charge. In vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i (formerly i-Miev), rapid charging is limited to achieve only 80 percent battery capacity to avoid overheating. The stepped-down charging method should give EV-neo drivers fast charging capability at full capacity without battery degradation.

[turtle8]

I wonder how much more this will cost than my Dad's Chinese electric bicycle that can go just as far and just as fast.

[Bashan]

$5,100.00 !!

Honda Japan said that it will start lease sales of its new electric motorcycle, the EV-neo on December 24. The 50cc scooters are primarily aimed at delivery services or individual businesses, 100 of which will have the chance to test the vehicle until March 2011. General sales will then start in April next year. Once charged (which takes 30 minutes with a quick charger), the EV-neo’s electric motor allows for a travel range of about 34km – provided you constantly drive at 30km/h. The scooter is powered by a 72V/12.6Ah lithium ion battery and can be loaded with up to 30 kg of cargo.

Honda says that prices for the EV-neo start at $5,100 (for the most basic model). A quick charger will cost another $1,430. The PRO version you see above (on the right) offers a bracket in the front for a basket and a rear carrier. At a press conference today in Tokyo, Honda president Ito also mentioned that his company is thinking about rolling out the “green” scooter in markets outside Japan, too.