Honda has just showcased the EV-neo at the Honda Motor Co.’s research facility in Wako and plans to start leasing the eco bike in December for the Japanese market at this stage.
The EV-neo — the equivalent of a 50cc gasoline-powered scooter — is targeted at companies that make deliveries, including newspapers and pizza parlors. The EV-neo has a cruising range of 30 km on one charge, according to the Japan Times’s online report.
The EV-neo gives Honda a chance to push an electric vehicle, an area where it has been less aggressive than rivals Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the report says, quoting Honda general manager Toshiyuki Inuma.
Overseas plans and sales to individual consumers for the EV-neo are still undecided.
Honda plans to lease the scooters instead of selling them and hopes to set a price that will cost less than a regular bike over three years, including gas prices — a range that would be about ¥600,000 (NZD$9,000) to ¥800,000 (NZD$12,000) each.
