Honda’s First Full-Size Production Electric Bike is a Retro Cafe Racer
The new Honda E-VO becomes Honda’s first full-size production-ready electric model, and just one of a number of e-bikes coming in the next few years
Honda has quietly unveiled its first full-size electric motorcycle, as the retro cafe racer-styled E-VO hits the market in China.
The news follows on from Honda’s electric sports bike concept, which we reported on last week. While it’s not thought that the new model is directly related to that bike (or its sibling, the EV-Fun), it's a clear statement of intent from Honda, and proof that it is still heavily aiming for the electric motorcycle sector.
The bike has come about thanks in part to Honda’s Chinese arm, Wuyang-Honda, with the bike known in that country as the WH8000D. Two battery options are on offer, 4.1kWh and 6.2 kWh, and the batteries use Honda’s sector-compatible battery swapping technology. That means that, should the pack run out of juice, the rider can stop at a roadside charging point and swap it for a fresh one.
Reports suggest that the 143kg 4.1kWh bike has a range of around 120km (around 75 miles), meaning it's firmly aimed at the urban mobility sector, and not the ‘City+’ end of the spectrum. City+ bikes are ones deemed to be fit for the city as well as working well out on the open road. Because of this, they generally have a greater range and can maintain higher top and cruising speeds. It can be charged via a home charger in around an hour and 30 minutes, or a commercial roadside vehicle charging point in a slightly swifter one-hour period.
The larger 6.2kWh bike features a triple-battery setup and gets a claimed 170km (105-mile) range. This bike tips the scales at 156kg and can also be charged via a domestic plug in around two and a half hours, or via a commercial charging point in an hour and a half. Whichever bike you choose, you are getting a peak power output of 15.3kW (20bhp), which should enable it to cruise at motorway speeds comfortably.
The new bike is thought to only be landing in the Asian region (specifically in China) and is priced at CNY 30,000 or around £3,000.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
