Honda Ev-Neo

Boris Johnson would approve...

I get all the best jobs, me.

We're here in Barcelona to ride Honda's new 18.5mph EV-neo all-electric scooter. It's a bit of a weird event in that it's not on sale yet, it may never come to the UK and there's no mention of predicted pricing. Us assembled hacks (from all over Europe) are here as part of the market research. Not only do Honda want to know what we think (as odd as that may seem) but - perhaps most importantly - they want to know what you think. Are you ready for fully electric scooters? Do you care enough about the environment to accept this power source? Is it our duty as motorcyclists to become early adopters of CO2-free scootering?

What do we know before we get a fifteen minute test ride? Barcelona City council will take delivery of eighteen EV-neos in January 2012 as part of Honda's ongoing R+D. Barcelona's city traffic comprises of a massive 30% of two-wheelers so it seemed like the logical place to trial this battery-powered commuter. The weather helps...

The EV-neo'll do a maximum of 34kms on a single charge which can take either half an hour or three and a half hours to charge depending on which charger you buy/use. Obviously they could have built more range into it with bigger batteries but the Large Project Leader, Mr Honda San, argues that this would have compromised the scooter's practicality in terms of weight, bulk and storage. Hydrogen fuel cells were discounted because they just aren't small enough yet.

Back in an hour or two with some whisper-quiet video...