Electric scooter goes for green market

Japan’s green transport drive moved from four wheels to two today with the unveiling of a new zero-emission electric scooter.

Honda said its EV-neo scooter – the equivalent of a 50cc petrol-powered bike - is targeted at delivery companies such as pizza firms.

It has a cruising range of 20 miles on one charge and a top speed of around 20mph.

Honda already makes the Insight hybrid car but has also a booming motorcycle division.

The EV-neo gives it a chance to push an electric vehicle, an area where it has been less aggressive than rivals such as Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, said Honda General Manager Toshiyuki Inuma.

“The motorcycle is a more nimble business, and it allows us to try out more things,” he said.

Overseas plans and sales to individual consumers for EV-neo are still undecided.

Honda plans to lease the scooters instead of selling them and hopes to set a price will that will cost less than a normal motorbike over three years including petrol prices – a range that would be up to about £5,200 (€5,899) each.

Interest in getting around ecologically is growing in Japan and government incentives for hybrids have made Toyota Prius hybrid the top-selling car for nearly a year.

Yamaha is also planning an electric motorcycle for this summer, although pricing and other details have not been announced.

Mr Inuma said some companies will want to send a green message by using the EV-neo.

The sales potential in China is huge, but bringing the EV-neo price down to attractive levels for such markets would be hard, he said.

Honda may face stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers who already are churning out 22 million battery-powered bikes and scooters a year. Most are for domestic use but exports to other developing markets have soared.

The Honda takes four hours to recharge fully from a home socket, and recharges about 80% in 20 minutes from a special machine.