Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will start lease sales of the EV-neo electric scooter on Friday 24th December 2010.
The EV-neo is an electric scooter developed for businesses such as transport of heavy goods or delivery services. It delivers a clean and quiet ride without compromising on power. The vehicle qualifies as a first-class motor-driven cycle in Japan, for engine displacements of 50cc or less.
Honda plans to deliver about 100 monitoring vehicles between December 2010 and March 2011 to cooperating businesses in the monitoring program*1. This will be used to collect riding data and other useful information and for the start of lease sales to businesses in April 2011. The data collected from actual business use together with the data obtained from test operations*2 of 10 prototype vehicles, conducted since October 2010, is expected to be used in future development of electric scooters and motorcycles.
The EV-Neo offers a clean and quiet ride and the excellent environmental performance that you would expect from a zero CO2 emissions vehicle.
Powered by a motor that, even when loaded with cargo, generates high torque even at low-speeds to achieve powerful acceleration from starting and hill climbing performance that equals or surpasses that of a conventional electric scooter. An in-house manufactured motor and a lithium-ion battery that apply Insight technology have been adopted, and an exclusively developed quick charger enabling full recharge in 30 minutes in a 25°C environment allows charging to be conducted at convenient intervals during the working day. The EV-neo has been developed as a complete electric scooter that can be used in a wide variety of business situations. A body design featuring a wide and flat loading space that enables easy loading and a flat floor that makes it easy to get on and off the vehicle ensures ease of use in delivery services and other business situations. The EV-neo PRO is based on the EV-neo and will sold simultaneously. It features a large rear carrier that is convenient for delivery of newspapers and other items and a standard-equipment bracket that can further enhance load capacity by attaching a basket in front.
By offering products with outstanding environmental performance to more customers, Honda is committed to advancing its contribution to reducing CO2 emissions on a global scale.
*1, 2: The monitoring of the EV-neo and test operations of its prototype vehicles have been adopted as technology development projects for global warming countermeasures for FY 2010 by Japan’s Ministry of Environment (MOE).
Editor’s Notes
Annual target lease sales (in Japan): 1,000 units
● Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices
EV-neo
Base price: 454,650 yen (433,000 yen before tax)
Base price (with regular charger): 494,550 yen (471,000 yen before tax)
Base price (with quick charger): 574,350 yen (547,000 yen before tax)
EV-neo PRO
Base price: 459,900 yen (438,000 yen before tax)
Base price (with regular charger): 499,800 yen (476,000 yen before tax)
Base price (with quick charger): 579,600 yen (552,000 yen before tax)
Options (sold separately)
Regular battery charger: 39,900 yen (38,000 yen before tax)
Quick battery charger: 119,700 yen (114, 000 yen before tax)
Audible pedestrian alert system:*3 19,950 yen (19,000 yen before tax)
*3: Price does not include installation and related costs.
*4: This product is for lease sales limited to public offices, corporations and individual business owners.
Main features
● A power unit that is clean and quiet, yet powerful
The newly developed power unit boasts outstanding environmental performance. The combination of a Honda-made brushless motor and a lithium-ion battery emits absolutely no CO2 from riding the vehicle and produces a quiet running sound worthy of an electric vehicle-a valuable asset for early-morning deliveries or circulating around residential neighborhoods. Generating a powerful torque in the low-speed range, the power unit allows the scooter to be started uphill on a 12-degree grade while loaded with 30 kg of cargo.
● A sturdy battery system suitable for business use
The achievement of 34 km/h vehicle range per charge (measured at a constant speed of 30 km/h on a level road) enables use for such business purposes as door-to-door deliveries or circulating around a residential area. The EV-neo uses the new SCiBTM lithium-ion battery from Toshiba Corporation which is well-suited for repeated charging and discharging and for quick charging, and also delivers stable performance at extremely low temperatures. In addition, the EV-neo’s newly developed battery cooling system uses a specially equipped cooling fan that makes the scooter ready for use in all four seasons.
● Choose among two different chargers according to work pattern
The quick charger, designed exclusively for the EV-neo and using a 200-volt power source, provides full charging from empty in about 30 minutes under 25°C conditions, making it possible to recharge the vehicle quickly during spare moments in the working day. The portable regular charger can be stored under the seat and provides 100% charging from empty in about 3.5 hours at 25°C.
● A body intended for delivery services and similar business uses
Cargo totaling 30 kg (the maximum statutory loading capacity for 50cc-or-under first-class motor-driven cycles in Japan), composed of 5 kg in the front,*5 5 kg in the luggage space under the seat, and 20 kg on the rear deck, can be loaded onto the body. A low-center-of-gravity design that places the major weight of the battery under the floor, combined with the 12-inch tires, provide enhanced riding stability with loaded cargo. Securing a 50-degree handlebar turning angle to the right and the left, the vehicle is easy to maneuver in alleys through its sharp turning capability. The EV-neo scooter uses Honda’s unique combined brake system (CBS) to ensure stable braking performance even with a full load of cargo. The center stand and standard side stand come enclosed in rubber to reduce the noise made by kicking up the stand, thus helping to ensure electrical-vehicle quietness even when deliveries require frequent parking stops.
*5: When the front basket or similar accessory is attached
● Advanced equipment for greater user-friendliness
– Digital meter with excellent visibility displays mileage, remaining battery power, and an in-progress indicator for charging
– Automatic energy-saving system ensures that power is shut off when the rider is away from the vehicle for a specified time with the main switch on
– Charging connector, newly developed exclusively for the EV-neo, pays extra attention to durability and the ease of plugging in the charger and pulling it out.
● Other features
– Body color available in Ross White
– Optional audible pedestrian alert system*6 to warn pedestrians of an approaching vehicle when riding at 28 km/h or lower.
*6: In accordance with the guidelines concerning quietness of hybrids and other vehicles, issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, a warning must be sounded to alert pedestrians and others nearby of an approaching vehicle. However, this does not relieve the rider of the obligation to pay sufficient attention to the traffic situation.
