This new folding electric motorcycle can fit in your car’s trunk
The Chinese motorcycle maker FELO has just unveiled its newest model at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show, and it’s basically a modern day take on an old classic from Honda known as the Motocompo. The new FELOTOO M One may just be the electric Motocompo you didn’t know you needed.
We’ve talked about the Honda Motocompo before on Electrek as we’ve watched other companies, as well as Honda itself, considering resurrecting the classic bike.
As a quick refresher, the Motocompo was an innovative compact motorcycle introduced by Honda in 1981. The goal was to create a unique solution for urban transportation. Designed to fit neatly into the trunk of small cars like the Honda City, the Motocompo featured a minimalist, boxy design with foldable handlebars and seat, making it easily portable and storable.
It was originally powered by a small 49cc two-stroke engine. Although production ceased in 1983, the Motocompo’s distinctive design and practicality have earned it a devoted fanbase and a lasting place in the history of innovative urban transportation solutions.
So it comes as no surprise that the design would be rehashed as new technologies allow for improvements. And with small electric powertrains replacing leaky engines, a trunk-sized folding motorcycle is ripe for a comeback.
Now FELO is taking a stab at the classic design with a surprisingly true-to-form interpretation. Called the M One, this modern day folding motorcycle is positively pint-sized. It weighs a mere 37 kg (82 lb). That’s even lighter than the original Motocompo’s 45 kg (99 lb) curb weight.
The M One uses a tiny full-suspension frame and replaces the original 49cc combustion engine with a 1,000W peak-rated electric motor. A 48V and 20Ah battery provides around 1 kWh of capacity, which the company claims is good for 100 km (62 miles) of range. That high range figure implies that the M One likely won’t be very fast, as you’d need to maintain an average speed of around 25 km/h (15 mph) to get that kind of range on an electric vehicle of this size and power level.
That might not sound very fast, but the original Motocompo wasn’t a crotch rocket either. Its speedometer went up to 50 km/h (31 mph), though most sources put the actual top speed at closer to 30 km/h (18 mph). Lighter riders were said to be able to eke out a tiny bit more top end speed.
But speed was never the point of a tiny folding motorcycle like the Motocompo, nor is it for M One. The whole point is to have a small format vehicle that can extend your range without needing to drive your car. Commuters could theoretically drive a small car in from the suburbs and park on the outskirts of a city. Then they could use the M One in their trunk like a dinghy on a sailboat, only they’d be cruising through city instead of rowing to shore.
Another interesting feature of the M One is that it will have V2L (vehicle to load) capabilities. With a 220VAC 50Hz power outlet, it can run household appliances directly from the motorcycle’s battery and inverter.
Some might argue the little two-wheeler’s classification as a motorcycle, instead preferring to lump it in with scooters or mopeds. Generally the scooter vs motorcycle debate boils down to whether or not the vehicle is straddled like a bike or step-through like a Vespa. In reality though, scooters and mopeds are simply subsets of the larger motorcycle world, making the M One one of the smallest electric motorcycles out there.
The M One is said to be priced at around US $2,900, though it looks like it will first debut in China and perhaps Japan. The little bike is said to become available in Q4 of this year, so we’ll have to keep our eye out for this one.
In the meantime, you can check out the slick unveiling video below to see how it folds.
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Climate XChange’s 9th Annual EV Raffle is your chance to win the electric car of your dreams – from Rivian to Tesla to Porsche and more!
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How it works
Enter at CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek. Every ticket you buy is one entry to win. Climate XChange is only selling 5,000 tickets, which means your odds are better here than most internet sweepstakes! Plus, you can feel good knowing your ticket supports an amazing cause: pushing for state-level climate action and advancing the transition to a zero-emissions economy.
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Why enter?
Climate XChange has been making dreams come true for nearly a decade. Last year’s winner drove off in a custom red Tesla Model X Plaid, and you could be next! Climate XChange takes fairness seriously: It prints every raffle ticket stub and live-streams the entire drawing process, ensuring transparency. Independent auditors oversee everything, so you know the drawing is legit.
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Visit CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek to grab your ticket. Limited tickets are available – remember, Climate XChange is only selling 5,000 tickets – so don’t miss your shot at an electric future!
Climate XChange EV Raffle rules summary
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China just connected its largest single-capacity solar farm built on a former coal mining area, which is in the Gobi Desert, to the grid.
The Mengxi Blue Ocean Photovoltaic Power Station, located in Otog Front Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia, came online on November 5. With a massive installed capacity of 3 gigawatts (GW) and over 5.9 million solar panels, the plant will generate around 5.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually – enough to power 2 million households.
This huge project will save about 1.71 million tons of standard coal each year and cut carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 4.7 million tons, which is equivalent to planting 62,700 hectares (around 155,000 acres) of trees.
Built on coal mining subsidence land, Mengxi Blue Ocean is part of China’s national West-East Electricity Transfer Project, which brings investment and development to western China west while supplying the growing need for electricity in the eastern provinces.
The solar farm includes the country’s first large-scale outdoor solar testing base in the Gobi Desert climate, demonstrating the potential for large solar installations in challenging environments.
The power station makes use of new rare earth alloy grounding materials, cutting costs by 40%. It also replaces traditional concrete foundations with steel to minimize impact on the local grassland ecosystem.
Chuang Xihong, deputy director of the Engineering Construction Department of Guodian Power Group, CHN Energy’s parent company, explained that Mengxi Blue Ocean is an agrivoltaic project as well [via PV Tech]:
Fine forage and sand-fixing plants are planted under the PV modules, providing grazing for Australian White Sheep and chickens. A composite ecological development model will be established where PV power generation and breeding will go hand in hand.
Read more: China powers up the world’s largest open-sea offshore solar farm
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