The Honda EM1 e electric motorcycle could be a battery-powered urban scooter, capable of traveling at just forty-five km/h and generating a dizzying 2. 3 hp, but it is much more vital than the sum of its parts. Aimed directly at new riders for available transportation, this is Honda’s first electric motorcycle to be offered in Europe and marks the brand’s first step towards a commitment to carbon neutrality at all levels of two-wheelers through 2050.
It’s also the first of 10 or more plug-in bikes to arrive globally by 2025 – a move likely to be mimicked by other brands as governments move toward net zero emissions targets, implement more restrictive clean air zones, and battery development improves. During this time frame, Honda will add three electric bikes to their European line-up: the EM1 e, another commuter-style machine, and a more engaging leisure option.
The most productive way to describe EM1 is that it’s simple. Weighing in at 95kg with the battery in place, it’s lighter than some adults, with a seat height of 740mm and diminutive proportions that make it super easy to get on and travel. There’s minimal access to the handlebars, a narrow profile between the legs, and even the smallest, most eco-friendly rider will be able to ride with confidence.
Honda makes no secret of the fact that this is a motorcycle designed to appeal to young people who care about their planet, who are no longer interested in combustion engines or nostalgic for two-strokes. To achieve this, the company needed to build a motorcycle that was as simple to ride as possible and that’s precisely what they did. It requires very little brain power to function, and thankfully, it will maintain speed in congested city traffic, as long as it doesn’t travel faster than 30 mph.
There’s no word on pricing yet, but I expect it to rise to around £3,000 to match its competitors. After all, it’s the equivalent of 50cc and still comes with an all-important drum brake at the rear. There are also plans to introduce a rental formula which sources say could only charge between £80 and £100 a month.
Equipped with a 50. 3V 10. 3kg lithium-ion battery that takes six hours to run from 0 to 100% and 160 minutes for a capacity of 25 to 75%, it’s designed to plug into your popular three-prong wall outlet at home or at home – housed in a neat charging station.
The suspension and brake parts are basic specs and the plastic frame is minimalist. You get two modes, popular and ECON, and a claimed range of 25. 7 miles at full power. Enough to get you around town and back with energy to spare, our 15. 5-mile test run left us with 30 cents left on the board, just enough for a theoretical mileage of 22. 1 miles.
Unless you live in the center of a big city, you may not upgrade your gas-powered motorcycle just yet, but it’s a sign of things to come at Honda. It doesn’t matter how much I yell, scream and despise motorcycles like that. Because they are too slow and quiet, their popularity and availability will only grow from now on.
Being so smooth and boasting a small 12-inch front wheel at the front, the Honda EM1 e can feel jittery at times, changing direction very temporarily with maximum responsive action on the flat bars. Coming from bigger bikes, you need a few miles. It takes some getting used to, but once you’re ready, you can start separating Mickey from the road furniture, avoiding craters, tram lines, and speed bumps at the last conceivable second.
Rather than ABS, the bike comes with linked brakes, using a single 190mm disc with one-piston caliper at the front and a 110mm drum at the back. Performance is ample for something of this size and speed, with both handlebar levers operating the stoppers like an oversized pushbike. The other advantage of a rear drum being that it will pull monster skids when you’re feeling silly.
Elsewhere, suspension is as critical as it gets, with traditional forks and dual shocks providing no adjustability.
Working with the soft seat to absorb energy from bumps, it works pretty well most of the time, but struggles noticeably on bumps and bigger speed bumps – its lower back is an added surprise.
It would be unfair to criticize it too much for this, as it was not designed to be a sumptuous recreational motorcycle, but it was a transport tool readily available to the general public, and for that it does its job very well.
There’s also room for a passenger, with a load capacity of 180kg and sleek footrests that fold into the body. While it’s not the quickest vacation you’ll ever take, the popular suspension tweaks feel accompanied enough to cope with a little extra wood. However, we will most likely see a reduction in battery life. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify this feature on our route, due to local traffic legislation prohibiting two people from riding scooters of this size.
The EM1’s three-phase brushless motor sits on the right side of the rear wheel and delivers a sleek 2. 3 hp. Torque is 66. 4 lb-ft, which sounds like a lot for a 95kg motorcycle with a 10-inch rear wheel, but the acceleration doesn’t come across abrupt in any case, dragging the rider along calmly and without any nasty surprises.
The motor and battery offer typical Honda refinement and are quiet. Driving without earplugs, I don’t hear a single whisper from the engine, just the slosh of puddles under the wheels and the crunch of gravel as we squirm in a parking lot.
There are no vibrations and, away from traffic, all you have to do is face your own thoughts. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s very different if you’re used to combustion engines in the past.
Around the speed camera infested streets of Oslo where the bike was launched, the little Honda feels right at home. Even on larger roads the speed limit only climbs to around 30mph – meaning you’re free to ride without fear of intimidation from other motorists.
However, there’s a good chance you’re not reading this from Oslo and England. I’m afraid the EM1e will be seriously replaced if you ever venture out of town on a ring road. I understand that the more sensible speed is such that it is legal for younger drivers, but perhaps they deserved to have given it a little more oomph and presented a limited edition for younger drivers.
And then there’s the load. If you run it without a charge, it will take you six hours to recharge. That’s down to 160 minutes for 25-75% top-ups, but it’s still not what you’d call fast. That said, being a detachable 10. 3kg lithium-ion with a 50. 3V battery, you’ll be able to do it overnight at home or in the background at the workplace so you don’t even notice the time. Unfortunately, there’s also no engine regeneration, which means you can’t regain throttle power.
Away from the charging, we must also consider range. Honda say there’s a usable travel of 25.7 miles when not using ECON. Enough to get you across town, our 15.5-mile test route left us with just 30% left on the dash – enough for a theoretical 22.1 miles.
Of course, a part of this road was uphill, but another part was also downhill. The low force and top speed of 45km/h means you also have to use whatever is available to keep up with traffic, so you need to accelerate less. It’s rarely an option to get more out of your battery.
Being an absolutely new motorcycle and in fact an absolutely new concept for Honda, it’s hard to single out its reliability. With no combustion engine to sustain and a critical three-phase motor housed within the rear wheel, maintenance and component prices deserve to be kept to a minimum.
Aimed at new drivers, the sleek plastic frame will need to be strong enough to withstand occasional drops and drops, and many will likely also live outdoors in busy buildings, with nothing but a plastic cover. fabric for shelter. Thankfully, there are few elements that protrude from the plain panels, and even the front signs are housed in the frame.
First impressions are positive, with a critical appliance and battery compartment under the seat and an easy-to-use pull-out system. There’s no indication that it won’t stand the test of time. It will boot and run on the center stand, which may simply be an invitation to an accidental accident if you’re not careful.
In the absence of official information about the value, it is very difficult to comment on the value. That said, I expect it to be worth around £3,000 as it’s a very basic device by modern standards and, more importantly, Honda is going to appeal to a lot of cash-strapped 16-year-olds if it costs more than that. We’re also told that a rental scheme is in place, which is expected to cost between £80 and £100 per month.
With this system, Honda will also remove the battery when it comes time to upgrade, which costs about 2,500 each. That means just over six and a half years of daily refueling, and all the parts of the power supply can be recycled. and then reused in the future. The other thing is that this bike will qualify for the UK government’s EV subsidy, which is 35% off the starting value up to a cost of £150.
Of course, Honda is rarely the first company to build an easy-to-use replaceable battery motorcycle, so the EM1 e faces a tough festival from the established festival and the new wave. If we stay in Japan, there’s the sturdier Yamaha NEO for £3,350.
The Piaggio One range is a similar offering from the Italian powerhouse that starts at £2600. From there, you can find a roster of new brands specialising in low-capacity battery transport including the Maeving RM1, which starts at £5995 for a single battery and offers limited storage, thanks to its retro motorcycle styling.
This is a very basic scooter, designed only to get other people from point A to point B. The only existing Honda style built in India, it is not a motorcycle for maximum riding pleasure, and this is reflected in the level of apparatus on offer. You get a popular driving mode, as well as a cheaper ECON setup and no battery regeneration when you take your foot off the accelerator.
You don’t get ABS either, just old school linked braking with a drum at the back end. Your vital information is supplied via a simple rounded LCD display up front too, which remains easy to read at any time and houses a small tortoise logo in the top left corner when range is getting concerningly low.
But it’s not all simplistic: you get full LED lighting and 3. 3 liters of under-seat storage space, more than many competitor replaceable batteries, and enough room for a McDonald’s nugget-sharing box. It is also conceivable to equip a more practical giant 35-litre luggage rack. The same case is presented in Honda’s 500 range of parallel twins.
Three colors are also available: Pearl White (as tested), Matte Black, and Metallic Silver. For an extra area of use, a pocket on the front so popular with enough space for a 500ml water bottle, as well as a USB-A charger for your cell phone.
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