Karmactive Team
After witnessing motorcycle evolution since the oil crisis of the 1970s, I must say Honda’s latest electric concepts at EICMA 2024 present both promise and questions. Let me share what the documents reveal, and where my decades of experience see potential gaps.
The Official Announcement
On November 5, 2024, at EICMA Milan, Honda unveiled two electric motorcycle concepts. As their press release states: “Honda has unveiled two electric motorcycle concept models, the ‘EV Fun Concept’ and the ‘EV Urban Concept,’ at EICMA 2024 in Milan, Italy.”
Technical Blueprint: What We Know
The EV Fun Concept carries these confirmed specifications:
- Fixed battery system with CCS2 quick charging capability
- Range: “over 100km or more, sufficient for city use”
- Performance: “equivalent to a mid-sized internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycle”
- Features: “high level of riding, turning, and stopping created by Honda’s long-developed motorcycle technologies”
The EV Urban Concept specifications, as per Honda’s release:
- “Function-focused design”
- Connected technologies integration
- In-house developed battery pack
- “Intuitive human-machine interface (HMI)”
Honda’s Electric Timeline
The company has outlined clear targets:
- 2024: “First year for the global launch of its electric motorcycles”
- 2024-2026: Market entry period
- Post-2026: Business expansion phase
- 2030: “30 electric models globally”
- 2040s: “Carbon neutrality for all motorcycle products”
- 2050: Complete corporate carbon neutrality
The Indian Market Strategy
Honda’s press release confirms: “Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is preparing to enter the electric vehicle market, following its March 2023 EV roadmap. The company’s first electric two-wheeler… is set to be launched in India on November 27.”
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Market Positioning
Honda explicitly states their aim: “to become the leading company also in the field of electric motorcycles.” The EV Fun Concept, scheduled for 2025 release, represents their first electric sports model.
Environmental Commitment
According to Honda’s statement: “Honda aims to achieve carbon neutrality through all of its products and corporate activities by 2050, and in particular, achieve carbon neutrality for all of its motorcycle products in the 2040s.”
Missing Elements That Matter
From my perspective covering motorcycles since the 70s, these key points need clarification:
- Battery capacity specifications
- Charging duration
- Power output figures
- Price positioning
- Service infrastructure plans
Design and Engineering Focus
Honda is also focusing on a new quiet, vibration-free ride that is only possible with electric power and the slim, easy-to-manage chassis package realized by its fixed battery.
The Urban Mobility Vision
The EV Urban Concept, as Honda describes it, “reconstructs from scratch Honda’s vision of what urban electric mobility should be.” It aims to “open up the freedom of mobility to as many customers as possible.”
