Honda Motocompacto e-Scooter Redefines Personal Urban Mobility

Forty years ago, Honda introduced the Motocompo. It was a tiny gas-powered scooter designed to fold up and fit in the cargo area of microcars like the Honda City. It weighed just under 100 pounds with its tiny half-gallon gas tank and produced 2.5 horsepower. It was Honda’s smallest scooter ever, and they sold it for about two years. Honda revealed a reimagining of the concept with its Motocompacto for this year’s Tokyo Motor Show. No mere concept, Honda plans to sell the Motocompacto for $995 in the U.S., and you will be able to see and buy it here at Rairdon’s Honda of Sumner.

A Rideable Suitcase

When folded, the Motocompacto resembles a white suitcase but with the width of a briefcase.  Its actual folded dimensions are 29.5 x 21.1 ”x 3.7”, and like its predecessor, it is designed to fit in the cargo area of a compact car. Its weight is less than half of the Motocompo at just 41.3 pounds, and the wheels let it be rolled in compacted form. When it’s time to ride, the user extends the handlebars up to 35 inches, pulls out and snaps the seat in place, pulls the rear wheel back from the body, and swings out two footpegs. Built into the body is an LED headlight and taillight. A welded loop in the kickstand is compatible with most bike locks. 

It is no surprise that an electric motor and compact battery power the Motocompacto. After 3.5 hours of charging from a household 110V outlet, the little scooter has an expected range of up to 12 miles and a maximum speed of 15 mph. An interesting detail keeping with Honda is that the scooter is front-wheel drive.

The Motocompacto was designed and developed by Honda engineers in Ohio and California as an innovative personal electric transportation approach that earned 32 patents. Honda sees the scooter as beneficial for the so-called last mile or first mile of public transportation commuting, getting around college campuses, and as a handy vehicle to perform errands in a city environment. With its small Razor-scooter-sized wheels, it is strictly an on-pavement vehicle.

More Conventional Honda Electric Vehicles to Follow

The launch of Motocompacto coincides with the introduction of Honda’s first battery-electric vehicle for the US market, the Prologue. The midsize Prologue SUV can be expected to appear at Rairdon’s Honda of Sumner in early 2024. With a global goal of achieving carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050, Honda will introduce 30 new EVs globally by 2030 with a global sales volume of 2 million units.