► Honda Motocompacto scooter revealed
► Reboot of an 80s classic, 12-mile range
► Folds in to a briefcase, costs £800
Honda has a long history on two wheels and four – so it should come as no surprise that it’s revived one of its classic products: the Motocompo from the 1980s.
The new Honda Motocompacto is a new electric scooter that folds, Transformer style, into a briefcase so it can be carried from your car or house. It’s very much a last-mile solution designed to keep pedestrians mobile in sprawling cities.
Honda Motocompacto: specs for the folding e-scooter
There’s a pretty tiny 6.8Ah battery that provides enough oomph for a 12-mile range, according to Honda, and will charge back up in three-and-a-half hours. Top speed is just 15mph.
The best electric cars
When you arrive at your destination, the Honda Motocompacto folds back up into its own box (above), which weighs 19kg. A sturdy cargo, but one that can be lifted in to the boot of a car or left in an office bike park.
‘Motocompacto is easy to use and fun to ride, but was also designed with safety, durability, and security in mind,’ said Nick Ziraldo, project lead and design engineering unit leader at Honda Development and Manufacturing of America where it was designed. Thirty two patents have been filed for its folding mechanism.
‘It uses a robust heat-treated aluminium frame and wheels, bright LED headlight and taillight, side reflectors, and a welded steel lock loop on the kickstand that is compatible with most bike locks.’
Will the Honda Motocompacto be sold in the UK?
We have asked Honda UK if they will sell the fold-up e-scooter on the side of the Atlantic. A spokeswoman told CAR: ‘There hasn’t been confirmation on if it will come to the UK at this point in time.’
In the US, the Motocompacto will cost $995, equivalent to £800 at current exchange rates.