Honda files trademark for electric ‘Motocompacto’, likely tiny e-motorcycle
Remember Honda’s Motocompo from the early 1980s? It was a tiny little gas-powered motorcycle designed to fit in the trunk of small car and give drivers a way to extend their reach into a city. Based on new trademark filings for a “Motocompacto”, it looks more likely than ever that Honda could be resurrecting it as an electric motorbike.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Honda hint at an upcoming electric motorbike with a strikingly similar name to the original Motocompo.
That original bike may have only lasted two years with a production run from 1981-1983, but around 50,000 were produced. The idea was quite novel — essentially a dinghy for cars that would let drivers park on the outskirts of a city and then commute in on a much more efficient and faster two-wheeler.
The design forced a tiny gas engine to be crammed into the little bike, but an electric version would simplify the setup and present a host of other advantages (such as not leaking hot engine oil into your trunk).
And the newly-trademarked Honda Motocompacto could prove to be an electric reincarnation or reimagination of that iconic little bike.
Over two years ago we covered the company’s filing of a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark office for a “Motocompacto”.
The trademark was filed in July 2020, with the Motocompacto described simply yet unambiguously as relating to “Land vehicles, namely, electric scooters.”
Now Honda has filed a pair of new trademarks, this time with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. The first trademark application included two alternative spellings of Motocompacto and Moto Compacto. It also described the trademarks as relating to “Goods: Land vehicles, namely, self-balancing electric scooters; electrically-powered motor scooters.”
The second application included a logo design for the trademark, which shows a compact-looking scooter.
Honda may be late to the electric two-wheeler party but has recently tried to correct course, announcing that it would roll out 10 new electric motorbikes and scooters by 2025.
We’ve already seen a number of patent filings and other hints at electric models that are in the works, but this Motocompacto has so far eluded further details.
The company also unveiled its Honda EM1 design, which will be the first Honda electric moped for the European market.
We saw that vehicle unveiled first hand at the Milan Motorcycle Show earlier this month. It may not have the most creative name (apparently an abbreviation of Electric Moped 1), but the EM1 will become the brand’s first electric model in Europe when it is released this following summer.
We had hoped to learn more tech specs for the moped, but Honda is so far playing it fairly close to the vest. 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).
Not particularly impressive specs, but then again Honda is struggling to play catchup in the electric motorcycle and scooter industry, having long ago missed the chance to lead in innovation.
But could a new pint-sized Honda Motocompacto give the company an opportunity to once again roll out an innovative design for urban-oriented commuters? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
via: Cycleworld
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First Solar just cut the ribbon on a huge new factory in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and it dwarfs the New Orleans Superdome. The company’s $1.1 billion, fully vertically integrated facility spans 2.4 million square feet, or about 11 times the size of the stadium’s main arena.
The factory began production quietly in July, a few months ahead of schedule, and employs more than 700 people. First Solar expects that number to hit 826 by the end of the year. Once it’s fully online, the site will add 3.5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. That brings the company’s total US footprint to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its newly announced South Carolina plant is anticipated to come online.
The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.
The new factory leans heavily on AI, from computer vision that spots defects on the line to deep learning tools that help technicians make real‑time adjustments.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says the investment is already a win for the region, bringing in “hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.” A new economic impact analysis from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the factory will boost Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4% in its first full year at capacity. The average manufacturing compensation package comes in at around $90,000, more than triple the parish’s per capita income.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar framed the new facility as a major step for US clean energy manufacturing: “By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
This site joins what’s already the largest solar manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere: three factories in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. Just last week, First Solar announced a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore more Series 6 module work. By the end of 2026, the company expects to directly employ more than 5,500 people across the US.
Read more: First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory
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No, it’s not the new Bolt. GM’s design team previewed a new high-riding “sporty Chevrolet EV” that should be brought to life.
Is Chevy launching a new sporty EV?
This is the all-electric vehicle Chevy should sell in the US. General Motors’ design team released a series of sketches previewing a sporty new Chevy EV.
Although it kinda looks like the new 2027 Chevy Bolt EV as a higher-sitting compact crossover SUV, the design offers a fresh take on what it should have looked like.
The new Bolt is essentially a modernized version of the outgoing EUV model with a similar compact crossover silhouette. Nissan adopted a similar style with the new 2026 LEAF as buyers continue shifting from smaller sedans and hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs.
Will we see the sporty Chevy EV in real life? It’s not likely. For one, the “exploration sketch” is by GM China Advanced designer Charles Huang.
GM Design posted the sketches on its global social media page, but the caption read “Sporty Chevrolet EV for the China Market.”
It’s too bad. The Bolt could use a sporty sibling like an SS variant. Chevy introduced the Blazer EV SS (check out our review) for the 2026 model year, its fastest “SS” model yet. Packing up to 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Chevy Blazer SS can race from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds when using Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode.
Will the Bolt be next? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And if GM does bring the sporty Chevy EV to life, it will likely only be sold in China. Like all the fun cars these days.
What do you think of the design? Would you buy one of these in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
While deliveries of the 2027 Bolt are set to begin in early 2026, Chevy is offering some sweet deals on its current EV lineup, including up to $4,000 off in Customer Cash and 0% APR financing for 60 months.
Ready to test drive one? You can use our links below to find Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs at a dealership near you.
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Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.
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