Honda’s new electric scooter and e-bike show it’s serious about electric two-wheelers
Honda has been on a roll lately, pumping out interesting and innovative electric two-wheelers including scooters and bicycles. Could the Japanese automaker suddenly be taking the segment more seriously?
Honda is a veritable powerhouse in the automotive and motorcycle markets. But it’s no secret that the company has lagged behind many other major manufacturers when it comes to electric vehicles. The upcoming Honda Prologue is the company’s first electric SUV and its long-awaited debut appears set for next year. But it pales in comparison to the extensive lineup of electric cars, SUVs, and trucks produced by other manufacturers, many of which have already been on the road for years.
However, the company has just shown off two very interesting light electric vehicles that are targeted at a very different market: micromobility.
We’ve followed the Honda Motocompacto for several months as the small folding electric scooter has steered its way towards consumers. Just last week Honda finally opened the order books for the Motocompacto, bringing the $995 retro-inspired electric scooter to market. It may be small, but Honda sells it from its traditional automotive dealerships and treats it like any other vehicle in its catalog.
At the same time, we got our first look at an interesting electric bicycle concept from Honda, showing off how the company could enter the electric bicycle market with a promising entry. The bike eschews futuristic and difficult-to-manufacturer designs, instead opting for many off-the-shelf bicycle components that allowed Honda to focus its design energy on an innovative frame and construction.
The result was an electric bicycle that actually looks ready to produce, though we don’t yet have any indication that Honda is planning on bringing its electric bike to market.
These two examples may be the most recent, but they’re hardly the company’s only foray into electric two-wheelers. Honda has produced an electric version of its PCX electric scooter for years and more recently rolled out Honda Cub remakes that feature electric drivetrains.
The company even claims to be hard at work on developing four new electric motorcycles said to debut by 2025.
As urban landscapes become increasingly congested and the global community grows more environmentally conscious, Honda appears to have recognized the need for sustainable and efficient mobility solutions – even if that realization hasn’t made it into the company’s automotive department. Honda is diversifying its portfolio and aligning with the green transition, reshaping the mobility sector by venturing into producing electric scooters and potentially electric bicycles.
Electric scooters and bicycles offer many advantages over full-size cars (or even combustion engine scooters and motorcycles), including reduced emissions, lower operational costs, and the convenience of navigating tight city spaces. Electric bicycles even add their own significant health benefits as well. Honda’s move to embrace these platforms could suggest a strategic shift towards capturing the growing market of eco-friendly commuters, potentially signaling their growing interest in small-scale EV technology.
But the development of electric scooters and bicycles is likely more than a business expansion for Honda – it’s a signal of what’s to come. By focusing on EVs, and especially smaller two-wheeled EVs, Honda could contribute to the reduction of urban air pollution and the global carbon footprint, supporting the worldwide effort to combat climate change.
With its eyes hopefully finally set on the future, Honda may not just be adapting to the electric revolution, but could actively help shape it. A steady stream of light electric motorcycle startups has moved in to fill the void left by major manufacturers like Honda, but that doesn’t mean we should count such larger companies out.
If legacy manufacturers realize it’s not too late, they could play a significant role here. Kawasaki was late to the e-motorcycle market but recently released a pair of respectable, albeit low-powered models, showing anything could still be possible this early in the burgeoning electric two-wheeler market.
Honda appears to be aiming even smaller in the beginning with e-bikes and e-scooters, but filling that role is no less important. As the company develops and launches its small-scale electric vehicles, it reiterates the importance of key players in driving the transition towards a more sustainable and electrified future on two wheels.
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Environment
Baidu- and Geely-backed JiYue brand unveils ROBO X EV that goes 0-100 km/h in under 1.9 sec
JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
In December 2023, Baidu and Geely unveiled a second model called the JiYue 07. It was born from JIDU’s ROBO-02 concept, which debuted in 2023 and was designed to compete against the Tesla Model 3 in China.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
- West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
- Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
- RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
- Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.
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