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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![This electric excavator has battery swap tech that lets it recharge in minutes [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/electric-excavator.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
UPDATE: telematics announcement.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
Telematics announcement at bauma
Earlier today, XCMG launched its next-generation Xrea Global Telematics Platform, integrating IoT, big data, cloud computing, and AI to enable what it’s caling, “seamless cross-border fleet management.”
The new telematics platform supports a dozen languages via PC and mobile interfaces, and offers real-time diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and data-driven optimization of both the vehicle and the vehicle’s batteries, empowering equipment managers and fleet operators to track fleets across town, or across time zones.
“XCMG remains committed to advancing engineering technology to empower a sustainable future. Our mission is to deliver efficient, intelligent, and eco-friendly lifecycle solutions for global clients,” said Mr. Yang Dongsheng, Chairman of XCMG Group and XCMG Machinery. “Today, 19% of our product portfolio comprises green innovations under our ‘Green Mountain’ new energy line, with full electrification across all series underway.”
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG; via PR Newswire.
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![A vast 600 MW Texas solar farm just hit a major milestone [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/01/Hornet-Solar-Texas-2.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Renewable developer Vesper Energy has cut the ribbon on Hornet Solar in Swisher County, Texas, one of the largest single-phase solar farms in the US.
As Electrek reported in January, the 600-megawatt (MW) Hornet Solar includes over 1.36 million modules covering more than 6 square miles. The project will contribute more than $100 million in new tax revenue to Swisher County and deliver 600 MWac of energy–enough to power 160,000 homes annually.
January 30, 2025: “The seamless coordination between our team and our EPC partner, Blattner, has enabled us to remain ahead of schedule and on budget while ensuring quality throughout the process,” said Juan Suarez, co-CEO of Irving-based Vesper Energy.
Hornet Solar uses bifacial solar panels mounted on a single-axis tracking system to maximize efficiency. The solar farm is connected to Oncor Electric’s transmission system within ERCOT and is contracted to provide power to four off-take partners through individual Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs).
The Hornet Solar project in the Texas Panhandle is on track to be fully online by spring 2025.
Texas is a utility-scale solar leader in the US, with a ranking of No. 2 and 37,713 MW currently installed. It’s projected to install 51,144 MW over the next five years and move into the No. 1 spot, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The total solar investment in the state is $45.2 billion.
On January 21, the SEIA, Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation (CTEI), Advanced Power Alliance (APA), and the Texas Solar + Storage Association (TSSA) reported that existing and expected utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage projects will contribute over $20 billion in total tax revenue – and pay Texas landowners $29.5 billion – over the projects’ lifetimes.
Read more: Texas just became No 1 in the US for most utility-scale solar
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