Honda launches $885 Cub electric moped, but not what we hoped

The world has been begging Honda for years to bring to market an electric version of its famous Cub line of motorbikes. Now the company has finally done it with the recently launched Honda Cub e:, though it’s not exactly what we were looking for.

In case you aren’t familiar, the Honda Cub and its many variants have claimed the title of the best selling motor vehicle of all time. The Cub has been in non-stop production since 1958 with over 100 million Honda Super Cub and Cub variants sold over the years.

We’ve seen Honda play with patents for an electric version of the cub, and we’ve drooled over imitations that have come out over the years, but we’ve yet to see Honda actually bring an electric Cub to market.

Now the company has finally made good on an electric Cub, though it’s a much lower spec moped version that doesn’t quite carry the same charm or performance of the original.

Honda designed it for younger riders in the Chinese market, and the company just unveiled it alongside two other light electric two-wheelers.

At a press event in Shanghai, Honda rolled out the new Honda Cub e:, the Dax e:, and the ZOOMER e:.

All three of the vehicles are designed to fit into China’s electric bicycle regulations that allow them to be sold and operated with much less regulation.

Unfortunately that also means that the three vehicles only top out at a neutered 25 km/h (15.5 mph).

They may not be fast, but they do have a bit of style to make up for the lack of performance.

The Cub e: certainly draws inspiration from the classic Honda Super Cub, yet also takes on modern design cues. It’s a more simplified look that loses a bit of the original’s pizazz, likely in favor of affordability for the millennial market that Honda is targeting.

It’s the same model we’ve been looking at in recent design filings and sports a pair of pedals that may be functional but are unlikely to be used for that function.

Instead, a twist throttle will make quick use of the electric moped’s battery, at least all the way up to 25 km/h.

In addition to the Cub e:, Honda also unveiled the Dax e: electric moped that takes on more of a Honda Trail vibe. It’s part of a growing trend of off-road electric motorbikes finding popularity in cities and urban centers.

Both the Cub e: and Dax e: were listed for around 6000 RMB, or approximately US $885.

The third vehicle in Honda’s trio is the Honda Zoomer e:, which basically looks like a pedal-added Honda ruckus that stuck its spokes in an electrical socket. That design is slightly more expensive, coming in at around US $900. Of course those prices reflect the much lower cost of goods in the Chinese market, and there’s no telling if these models will ever reach international riders.

Electrek’s Take

It’s great to see Honda adding more of these electric mopeds to its lineup, and it’s even fun to watch older gas vehicle designs get reimagined as EVs. The Cub e: seems to share a lot of similarities with the MUJI partnership vehicle that resulted in the MS01, though the Cub e: looks a bit nicer to me.

The downside for all of the people that don’t live in China (which is amazingly only around 80% of us) is that we’ll have to wait to find out if and when these vehicles will be exported to the rest of the world. And if so, will they get better performance specs?

Here’s hoping for a huge “yes!”

via: The Pack