Honda Unveils All-Electric Scooter

The Retro Honda EV-Cub With Dual Motors









Honda, one of the world wide leaders in scooter production has finally announced a version of their Cub model which will operate in full EV mode. The Cub was a popular gas scooter decades ago and so the new version will have a built in "retro" look. Why it took so long for Honda to jump on the EV bandwagon is a mystery. Chinese manufacturers have been pumping out electric scooters for years now, leaving the big boys like Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki in the dust. Let's hope that Honda sets a competitive MSRP for the EV-Cub.

From ManilaTimes.net:

Honda Motor Co. has released images of several new environment-friendly motorcycles that it will display at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show next week. Honda’s green two-wheel lineup includes the much-anticipated EV-Cub electric motorcycle, the EVE-neo electric scooter and the PCX global scooter—which boasts of being the first two-wheeler to employ an “idling stop system.”

The EV-Cub is fitted with the company’s “car2car” and “car2driver” communication system that’s called HELLO! (Honda ELectric mobility LOop) as well as a LOOP hand-held, portable communication tool.
Though few details have been released, the EV-Cub appears to have electric motors in the front and rear wheels, indicating that it’s a two-wheel-drive motorcycle—something that’s expected to become commonplace in the future as they offer traction advantages on loose terrain and wet roads, improving rider safety.

Much thinner than a normal motorcycle, the EV-Cub will maximize its relatively low power by its light weight. Honda, which had said it aims to sell an electric motorcycle by the end of 2010, will likely mass-produce the EV-Cub in the next few months.

Meanwhile, the PCX is equipped with a newly developed low-friction, water-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder 125cc engine that’s capable of traveling 50 kilometers in a liter of fuel, Honda said. The PCX’s “idling stop system,” which automatically shuts down the engine when the motorcycle comes to a temporary stop, was adopted to improve fuel economy.

Honda bared the PCX, which will be manufactured in Thailand, conforms to current exhaust emission standards in Japan, Europe and the US. The company credited its PGM-FI electronic fuel injection system as well as a catalyst device in the muffler for the bike’s low emissions.

Besides having the first stop-start system on a motorcycle, the PCX also employs Honda’s ACG starter that combines a cell motor and alternating current generator. The PCX will be equipped with a Combined Brake System for the front and rear wheels.

For its part, the EVE-neo electric scooter is seen to “achieve clean and tough performance that only an electric-powered scooter can provide,” according to Honda.