Honda gets its (electric) motor running

Honda unveiled its first all-electric scooter in Japan earlier today as it looks to take zero-emission motorbikes into the mass market in Japan and eventually China.

The EV-neo was shown for the first time at Honda's HQ in Tokyo, and according to Nikkei reports will be marketed to small businesses and delivery companies in Japan from December.

Honda said the bike is equivalent to a 50cc petrol-powered scooter and will have a
range of about 19 miles on one charge.

"We will need to work on the cost and performance further to make it commercially viable," Toshiyuki Inuma, general manager of Honda's motorcycle operations, told the Nikkei.

Honda did not disclose a price range for the EV-neo, but said the cost would be roughly equivalent to a similar gasoline scooter and that it would have lower running costs.

The firm uses Lithium-ion Toshiba batteries in the bikes, which will be chargeable to 80 per cent in less than 20 minutes using a portable rapid charger or fully charged in four hours via a home socket.

Honda is expected to initially focus on the Japanese market, but may look to the huge market for bikes in China if demand is strong in its home market.

Honda is already established as the world's largest motorbike manufacturer and also reportedly has plans to develop a 100cc electric motorbike for Asian countries.

It has been less aggressive than other automakers in the push into electric vehicles, focusing more on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, though last year the firm said it wanted to launch electric cars in the US, Europe and Japan.

Honda's chief rival, Yamaha – the world's second-biggest motorcycle maker – is also due to begin selling a battery-run scooter in Japan later this year, with plans for a later launch in Taiwan and Europe.

Yamaha discontinued a range of electric scooters sold between 2002 and 2006 in Japan after their Lithium-ion batteries, made by an arm of Hitachi, were recalled.