The new CUV e: doesn’t cost as much as you might think
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Honda has a long history with electric scooters, especially if you’re reading this in Europe, the US or Australia.
Its original EM1 e: was met with a lukewarm reception at best, as the innovative battery subscription model never really took off. The little 50cc rival ended up costing too much and only managed around 25 miles on a single charge.
Of course, if you live in Asia or much of the Far East, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to battery-powered Hondas, be it the hugely popular Activa e: model or the retro-tastic Dax e:, Honda Cub e: and electrified Zoomer e: that are, very irritatingly, currently only available in China.
But now, Honda wants to preach the benefits of zero emissions, low noise and almost zero maintenance electric motoring to the most of the world with its CUV e: (we’ll call it the CUV e from here). It’s one of the planet’s most grammatically-irksome vehicles but one that fuses innovative battery swap tech with a fuss-free, city-slicking ride experience that could convince petrol-lovers to maker the transition.
The Honda Mobile Power Pack e (HMPPe) sits at the very heart of the CUV e, with two of these 10kg, portable units powering the futuristic machine.
In many markets, this system is already popular, allowing riders to pull up to a dedicated Honda battery vending machine and swap out packs for a freshly-charged unit.
We will have to wait a little longer for this in much of wider Europe and the US, but the innovation means it is easy enough to remove the packs and charge them at home (even if that is a 12th-floor apartment) or under the desk at work.
What’s more, Honda says that the HMPPe packs can power a multitude of applications, with things like powerful construction site lights, diggers, rickshaws, boats and even camping equipment able to take juice from these portable units.
It won’t be long before your daily commuter can also power your garden equipment, tools and off-grid power station.Big deal, small prices
Before I get into the meat of this review, it is worth mentioning the price. We know, in the UK at least, that the Honda CUV e will cost £3,800 (around $5,100 / AU$7,780), which sees it directly rival Honda’s popular, petrol-powered PCX model.
Granted, the range offered by Honda’s latest addition to the electrified scooter family is a mere 45 miles or thereabouts (a far cry from the PCX), but it is priced to rival some high-end eBikes, with even more favorable monthly finance deals like on the cards.
Yet, Honda hasn’t scrimped on the technology, with UK CUV e models all receiving the larger 7-inch digital display (a cheaper 5-inch version is available, apparently), which is operated by a clever joystick and button array on the left handlebar and connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth for nav, music and phone calls on the move.
