Honda to start sales of electric scooter

From Honda Motor Co.

TOKYO, JAPAN - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has announced that it will start lease sales of the EV-neo electric scooter on Dec. 24.

The EV-neo is an electric scooter developed for businesses such as transport of heavy goods or delivery services and which delivers a clean and quiet ride without compromising powerfulness. The vehicle qualifies as a first-class motor-driven cycle in Japan, for engine displacements of 50cc or less.

Honda plans to deliver about 100 monitoring vehicles between December 2010 and March 2011 to cooperating businesses in the monitoring program for collecting riding data and other useful information and to start lease sales of the EV-neo to general businesses and individual business owners in April.

The data collected from actual business use together with the data obtained from test operations of 10 prototype vehicles, conducted since October, is expected to be used in future development of electric scooters and motorcycles.

On top of the excellent environmental performance offering a clean and quiet ride worthy of an electric scooter with zero CO2 emissions while riding, the EV-neo leverages a motor that, even with cargo loaded, generates high torque even in the low-speed range to achieve a powerful starting and hill-climbing performance.

An in-house manufactured motor and a lithium-ion battery that apply Insight technology have been adopted, and an exclusively developed quick charger enabling full recharge in 30 minutes in a 25°C environment allows charging to be conducted at convenient intervals during the working day.

The EV-neo PRO, which is based on the EV-neo and will be put on sale simultaneously, adds a large rear carrier that is convenient for delivery of newspapers and other items, and a standard-equipment bracket that can further enhance load capacity by attaching a basket in front.