Honda EM1 unveiled as company’s first electric moped in Europe
Honda took to the EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show today to unveil its first European model with an electric drivetrain, the Honda EM1.
Honda EM1 unveiled in Milan
Electrek was on site at the show to visit Honda’s booth and see the new electric model in the flesh.
In a storm of creativity, Honda named the new electric two-wheeler using an abbreviation of Electric Moped 1. The EM1 will become the brand’s first electric model in Europe when it is released this following summer.
It’s the first of 10 new Honda electric motorbikes that the company promised to unveil by 2025.
If you can’t wait until then and want to hear the specs now, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Honda is playing the EM1 close to the vest and hasn’t released very many technical specs yet. The two main pieces of information we have are that it will use the Honda Mobile Power Pack as its battery, and that the scooter will have a range of 40 km (25 miles).
I was able to snag these photos of the new bike at Honda’s booth, but no one was sharing very many details.
With only one of Honda’s MPP batteries, the scooter isn’t expected to be very powerful.
The 40 km (25 mile) range is also likely to be figured at low speeds. In fact, it’s quite likely that the scooter will arrive to the European market with a 45 km/h (28 mph) top speed to classify as a L1e-B moped.
We can also glean a few piece of information just from looking at the scooter. There’s a rear hub motor that is likely a nod to affordability, a seat large enough for a second rider with pillion pegs to match, and a rear rack that should be useful for adding cargo or a rear trunk box.
While we don’t know much about the technical side of the scooter, Honda has made it clear that the company will use the EM1 to target younger riders.
As the company explained to the press:
The model is aimed squarely at a young demographic, looking for easy, fun urban transport. It is compact, flat-floored, with a smoothed styling that marks out its difference and unique identity within the Honda range. Perfect for short hops around town and for making journeys to work or college efficient, quiet and emission-free, the EM1 e: syncs neatly with modern expectations for urban mobility.
What is less clear is whether Honda plans to bring its battery swap stations to Europe or whether riders will simply charge the scooter’s MPP battery at home.
Honda has developed a Gogoro-style battery charging station that can allow quick swaps for depleted batteries. That would be ideal for the young audience that Honda is targeting, which includes apartment dwellers that often lack ground-level charging at home.
Honda has been playing catchup with the rest of the electric motorbike industry lately.
While the brand has been late to the game, a series of interesting patent applications have revealed several designs for new electric mopeds and even shared electric scooters.
With several more electric motorcycles expected to be unveiled in the next few years, Honda will likely soon offer a series of electric scooters, larger electric mopeds, and full-electric motorcycles.
Those models could join Honda’s existing small-format electric scooters that are currently available in Asia, but have so far failed to penetrate western markets.
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On today’s informative episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got Honda engineers Jason Hwang and Emilio Sanchez to talk us through some of the things that make the GM Ultium-based Honda Prologue EV feel like a real Honda, and why that matters.
Jason and Emilio talk about some of the choices they made to make the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX feel different from its GM-branded cousins, and explain why this was much more than a case of badge-engineering. Give it a listen, then let us know what you think of the Prologue and ZDX in the comments.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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The first EV charging hub funded by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program in the Eastern US is now online in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The town installed the region’s first DC fast chargers (four ports), along with four Level 2 chargers, at 59 North Main Street in South Deerfield.
These new charging stations, funded with $2.46 million from the CFI program, are conveniently located near Interstate 91 in Franklin County, the most rural county in Massachusetts, which serves drivers from Connecticut up to the Canadian border.
The hub also features local and regional bus stops and designated bike lanes with secure onsite bike racks. The chargers are meant to cater to everyone: from local residents and visitors to municipal EVs and commercial vehicles that service the region’s businesses, like those in food and beverage manufacturing.
Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, sees this as a model for future projects:
Multi-modal charging hubs in communities are key to giving more people the choice to ride and drive electric. The Town of Deerfield is showing leadership in building out convenient charging infrastructure that brings new transportation choices to rural and disadvantaged communities while supporting local commerce.
In recent years, Deerfield has experienced increased climate change-driven flooding from nearby rivers, including the Deerfield River, the Connecticut River, and the Bloody Brook. The project incorporates environmental engineering designed to mitigate and adapt to the effects of flooding and climate, including the installation of permeable asphalt and rain gardens, planting of native trees, grasses, and shrubs, and the creation of new greenspace in the center of Deerfield.
The Biden-Harris administration’s CFI Grant Program is expanding EV infrastructure nationwide. It offers grants for projects that complement and expand upon the initiatives of the NEVI program in urban, rural, and disadvantaged and low-income communities. So far, the CFI Grant Program has allocated over $1 billion to nearly 100 projects across the US, encouraging private investments and expanding the EV charging network to make EV ownership more practical and convenient.
Read more: The US reaches milestone of 200,000+ public EV charging ports
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Kia’s upcoming EV4 electric sedan was just spotted testing in the US for the first time. The low-cost EV is expected to make its big debut by the end of the year. Here’s a look at the new model.
The EV4 will round out Kia’s new “EVs for all” master plan launched last year. Kia showcased three new models, the EV3, EV4, and EV5, during its first annual EV Day in October 2023.
During the event, Kia outlined its new global strategy to “lead and accelerate the EV revolution” with a wide range of models priced from $30,000 to $80,000.
Kia plans to rapidly expand its lineup with a series of smaller, lower-priced models. It launched the EV9, its first three-row electric SUV, which is already proving to be a hot seller in the US. Starting at under $55,000, the EV9 is still a great deal compared to others in its class, but Kia plans to go even lower.
The EV3 and EV4 are expected to be among the most affordable electric vehicles when they arrive in the US.
Kia’s new EV4 is now testing in the US
Ahead of its official debut, Kia’s new EV4 sedan was recently caught driving on US streets for the first time.
The latest image from KindelAuto doesn’t reveal much more than what’s been shown in the past, but the fact that it’s now testing in the US is significant.
Kia’s EV3 is already on sale in Korea, starting at around $30,000 (42.08 million won). Earlier this week, the company said its new compact SUV is now available across Europe, starting at around $38,000 (36,000 euros) with a “segment-leading range” of up to 375 miles (WLTP).
Next up will be the EV4. Kia is expected to officially reveal the new EV by the end of the year, with deliveries starting in 2025. It could be as soon as next week at the 2024 LA Auto Show.
The interior will feature Kia’s advanced new ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens. An otherwise minalimalistic design is expected inside.
Kia’s EV4 will also be available in a hatchback variant. Although the hatch is likely aimed at European buyers, it was also recently spotted testing in the US for the first time.
We will learn official prices closer to launch, but the EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Kia is teasing five new vehicles for the US, at least one being a new EV, that will debut at the LA Auto Show next week. Will it be the EV3? EV4?
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