All-electric Honda Motocompacto announced
Honda has revived the Motocompo concept, with the Motocompacto, an all-electric folding motorcycle focusing on some regions’ lucrative student mobility market.
Unlike the previous Motocompo which was powered by a two-stroke petrol engine, the new Honda Motocompacto utilises electric power, and boasts a 12-mile range and a top speed of 15mph. Its unique folding design means it can be reduced to roughly the size of a suitcase, and then carried inside to be recharged from a domestic plug socket. The whole bike weighs in at just 18.7kg and has a gross carrying capacity of 120kg meaning full-sized adults can happily swing a leg over it.
Like many of these urban electric scooters, the motor is mounted in the front wheel of the machine, with the rear wheel carrying the drum brake. The dinky 6.8Ah battery is much smaller than we are used to, although its diminutive size does allow for a claimed recharging time of just 3.5 hours from a domestic plug.
At the time of writing the bike is only slated for a release outside of the UK and Europe, with the USA looking like the main area the Motocompacto will be landing in. With numerous vast university campuses dotted across the country, a bike like this could become the ideal way to get students around - and at a shade under $1,000 (£850) it’s a cost-effective way of getting out on two wheels. Honda is doubling down on this, showing the bike decked out with Uni-specific graphics on the Honda USA website.
As it stands the Motocomacto won’t be coming to the UK and that’s mainly down to UK legislation around e-scooters making it an unattractive move. As it stands the use of privately owned electric e-scooters on public roads and parks is banned, and only hired scoots that are part of government-approved schemes are deemed legal. Until that changes it’s unlikely we’ll be getting our hands on it.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
