ECUB 2 = RETRO CLASSIC MOPED W/ AN ELECTRIC HEART

Combining advanced li-ion batteries from Tesla development partner Panasonic and the best-selling and beloved Honda Cub chassis, the eCub 2 is a retro electric moped from the genius motorcycling minds at Shanghai Customs.

The ECub 2 was built in response to the recent Chinese regulations on the formerly ubiquitous internal combustion motorcycles and mopeds in large city centers like Beijing. The pollution caused by those millions of bikes each day was immense- and not just because of their numbers. Many of the small-displacement commuter bikes were oil-burning two-strokes or catalyst-free four-strokes. Heavy carbon producers, in other words … and there are millions and millions of them. There are 100 million Honda Cubs alone. Like, without exaggeration.

As for the bike itself, Shanghai Customs fitted the classic Honda Cub moped chassis with a 1000 Watt electric motor in the rear wheel hub good enough to get the eCub 2 to 35 MPH with a 25 mile (40 km) range. The powerful motor is powered by a bespoke removable battery pack that’s made up of Panasonic 3.7v 3.400 mAh lithium-ion 18650 cells. It’s an idea that Honda, itself, has played with recently with its battery-swapping Honda PCX electric scooter, but the SC guys have made it happen now.

It’s not a hack, though- even if it is ready now, it has been in development for over two years by industry and production experts. Experts like New Zealand ex-pat Matthew Waddick, who has been working with Shanghai Customs to rapidly prototype new designs and parts, work with high-end factories, and monitor QC closely … in fluent Mandarin.

It’s an impressive machine built by very, very impressive guys, in other words. You can find out more about the ECub 2, and see a few more photos of the production-ready bike “in the wild” over at the Silodrome. Check it out, then let us know if you think the little electric DIY moped might be worth paying for in the comments.

Shanghai Customs Electric Honda ECub 2

Source | More Images: Shanghai Customs, via Silodrome.