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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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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