Topic: Honda EV Cub

[EV Dan]

http://world.honda.com/design/designers-talk/tms2009/ev-cub/

Excellent design and IMHO it is showroom ready for the entire world (throw winters on top of AWD, eh). What I don't understand is where the batteries, that make today's other e-cycles look silly, are located. My first guess was in place of the gas tank but now the article says otherwise. So maybe in production Cub the batts will go under the "floor" or maybe just strapped to the cargo rack. It will still be a seller if the price is reasonable.

[blur911]

Excellent design and IMHO it is showroom ready for the entire world (throw winters on top of AWD, eh). What I don't understand is where the batteries, that make today's other e-cycles look silly, are located.

I bet the engineers are cursing the designers while trying to figure it out as well.  Easy to build a concept that doesn't work.

[Wolverine]

Why does it have to look so old?

[EV Dan]

Why does it have to look so old?

I first saw it (ICE type) in 80s - early 90s and I thinks Suzuki and Yamaha made them as well. It looked odd compared to 'modern' plasticky scooters even then. However because of larger wheel size they are stable at high speeds and so a bit safer.

What I suppose Honda will do is indeed strap the batt pack to the cargo rack but make it portable. This way the bikes won't get stolen for expensive batteries and there is no need for an alarm. You park it at work, take the battery with you to recharge it, same at home.
Using currently available tech  http://www.evcomponents.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=38120S   12s3p connection which should yield 36v 30Ah pack, it will weigh about 11kg, not too light, but manageable.
Last thing required is to clean the roads with $2 gas 

[rrocket]

Why does it have to look so old?

Because that's what a Cub looks like!  It's like the looks of the Porsche 911.  Dated for sure...but that's what a 911 looks like....

[lophiya]

Honda has just unveiled its 2-wheel drive EV-Cub at the Tokyo Auto Show that merges both the old and the new, where this slick concept offers up to a touted 282 miles per gallon with the assistance of its batteries that can be juiced up via a power outlet or using solar power if you happen to live in a tropical climate that gets bright sunlight all year round. With vehicles like these, looks like petrol stations might be out of business in the future.

[tpl]

Why does it have to look so old?

Because that's what a Cub looks like!  It's like the looks of the Porsche 911.  Dated for sure...but that's what a 911 looks like....

Right!
Is not the Cub the archetype of all the 2 wheelers seen carrying whole families around SE Asia?   Every photo of a city from Pakistan to Viet Nam is full of these things.  So this new electric one SHOULD look the same...and as the man said... human beings have not changed much in 50 years.

[EV Dan]

Dow Jones Newswires

 

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Honda Motor Co. (HMC, 7267.TO) is developing an emission-free electric motorbike featuring a Toshiba Corp. (TOSYY, 6502.TO) lithium ion battery, with the release likely to come in December, it has been learned.

The prototype is a single-seater of similar size and engine power to a 50cc scooter. Honda plans to release the model in the domestic market, where it will likely be priced at around 500,000 yen.

The company is expected to announce details on Tuesday.

The electric motorbike will get about 30km per charge. Riders will be able to charge it via a home outlet, as well as with a portable charger. The latter method can replenish the battery in roughly 10 minutes.

The battery, to be supplied by Toshiba, has a long life--more than 6,000 charge-discharge cycles--and can be charged at high speed.

This is the first time for Honda to use Toshiba batteries.

For Toshiba, this represents the first big deal for its vehicle batteries, a product category it hopes to beef up.

Honda, the world's largest motorbike maker, sells roughly 15 million units a year. In addition to the upcoming model, it is looking to develop a 100cc electric motorbike for Asian countries--its key markets--and other places.

Meanwhile, Yamaha Motor Co. (7272.TO), the world's No. 2 motorbike maker, plans to begin selling electric models this summer in Japan and Europe.

With the top two motorbike players firing up electric operations, it appears that a new trend is starting in the industry.

(The Nikkei April 11 edition)

Copyright © 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

[EV Dan]

Well, one step forward, two back... Sounds like they really try to avoid selling one. Maybe FC promotion commitments got in the way?

Honda to lease electric scooters from December

By YURI KAGEYAMA (AP) – 6 hours ago

WAKO, Japan — The green fad in Japan is expanding from cars to bikes with Honda's zero-emission super-quiet electric EV-neo scooter.

The EV-neo, shown Tuesday at Honda Motor Co.'s research facility in this Tokyo suburb, zipped around emitting just a calm whirring sound, with none of a motorcycle's gritty growl.

Honda plans to start leasing the scooters — the equivalent of a 50cc gasoline-powered bike — in December and says its target market is companies that make deliveries, such as newspapers and pizza parlors. The EV-neo has a cruising range of 30 kilometers (19 miles) on one charge.

Honda, this nation's No. 2 automaker, has a booming motorcycle division and makes popular cars such as the Odyssey minivan and Insight hybrid.

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

"The motorcycle is a more nimble business, and it allows us to try out more things," said Inuma.

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 regular bike over three years including gas prices — a range that would be about 600,000 yen ($6,000) to 800,000 ($8,000) each.

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

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

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, Inuma said.

Honda may face stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers who already are churning out 22 million battery-powered bikes and scooters a year priced at 1,700 to 3,000 yuan ($250 to $450). Most are for domestic use but exports to other developing markets have soared.

Still, Inuma boasted the scooter is not only quiet and green, but it also doesn't smell greasy, and may prove a hit in industrialized nations.

It takes four hours to recharge fully from a regular home outlet, and recharges about 80 percent in 20 minutes from a special machine. EV-neo goes up to 30 kph (19 mph), and runs on lithium-ion batteries from Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp.

Honda sold more than 130,000 traditional gasoline-powered scooters in Japan last year, accounting for more than half the market.

[EV Dan]

Lots of interest I see 

Anyway, for those technically inclined, here is some food for thought, a link to the Toshiba's Li cells presumably used for this scooter.
http://www.toshiba.com/ind/data/tag_files/SCiB_Brochure_5383.pdf

The energy density is fairly low at about 50Wh/kg, but look at the temp range, usable capacity and charging rates!
1. If I'm not mistaken, the cell will become 90% SoC in about 3 minutes 
2. An only 2 kg pack has 15 A continues output, making it useful for light duty electric bikes. Such pack can easily be made portable.
3. Amazing life span at 6000(!) cycles to ever 80% remaining capacity. It translates in terms of automotive use when charging/ discharging once a day to 16 years...
4. Even at -30C the discharge capacity is still 85%.

The way I see it if the stated is true, Toshiba is leaps ahead of its competition.