Honda E-VO Unveiled: Honda’s First Electric Motorcycle

Honda has officially launched its first electric motorcycle in China and it’s loaded to the gills with tech and features. Called the Honda E-VO, it has been unveiled by Honda’s Chinese arm, Wuyang-Honda, co-developed by Honda in collaboration with its Chinese partner Guangzhou. The Honda E-VO is a full-size electric motorcycle and the spec list indicates that it’s by no means a low-speed commuter electric two-wheeler!

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Honda E-VO: Battery Options, Range

The E-VO is available in two battery pack options – a 4.1 kWh lithium-ion dual-battery set-up or 6.2 kWh lithium-ion triple battery set-up. Claimed WMTC range is 120 km with the dual battery set-up and 170 km with the bigger triple battery pack. The 4.1 kWh version can be charged using a home charger in 1 hour 30 minutes from 20 to 80 per cent or with a traditional fast charger in just 1 hour. The triple battery version takes longer to charge – 2 hours 30 minutes at home, or 1 hour 30 minutes at a commercial charger. Both versions also support Honda’s swappable battery tech for quick battery swapping.

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Honda E-VO: Chassis & Performance

The Honda E-VO looks like a retro-styled café racer, with definite modern touches. With a round headlight, retro-inspired bodywork the E-VO definitely looks more “classic” than modern, but underneath the rounded bodywork is a purely modern motorcycle. There’s a forged aluminium frame, cast aluminium swingarm and dimensions that are close to a full-sized motorcycle than an electric commuter. The E-VO rides on 16-inch front wheel and 14-inch rear wheel, with suspension duties handled by an upside down front fork and gas-charged monoshock at the rear.

A flat wire mid-mounted electric motor has a 15.3 kW output (approximately 20.5 bhp) in standard form or 15.8 kW (21.2 bhp) in the higher-spec triple battery version. The 4.1 kWh version weighs 143 kg kerb weight, while the 6.2 kWh version weighs 156 kg. The Honda E-VO is claimed to hit 0-50 kmph in 2.8 seconds and has a top speed of 109 kmph in standard trim, or 120 kmph in the triple battery version.

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Honda E-VO: Features

The E-VO three standard ride modes (Eco, Normal and Sport), as well as a fourth “Thunderbolt” mode. There’s traction control, dual-channel ABS, reverse mode, cruise control and even hill-hold function. Lighting is full-LED, and the E-VO gets two screens, a 7-inch full-colour TFT dash with a second 7-inch TFT screen which supports full-screen navigation, supports real-time data and gets music, tyre pressure and battery SOC information. The smaller battery pack version includes a front dash cam, while the triple battery pack version has both front and rear dash cams as standard equipment.

The Honda E-VO is the first product under the Wuyang-Honda brand is likely to be exclusive to the Chinese market and has been launched with a starting price of CNY 30,000 (approximately Rs. 3.5 lakh at current rates). Whether something like the E-VO makes it to India is unclear now, but what the Honda E-VO underscores is the Japanese giant’s clear indication of a strategy of global push towards electrification.