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sanjsrik t1_ivf1g7z wrote

Maybe I'm ignorant and pardon the noob question, but aren't mopeds already electric?

13

boones_farmer t1_ivfd1b7 wrote

I wonder how this will be handled by laws that currently categorize scooters by engine CC.

12

-_Potato t1_ivfeh6b wrote

Moped is a weird definition.

Some rules involving engine displacement and speeed

50 to 150cc (or however they want to equate wattage to that for an electric motor)usually governed to no more then 35mph.

They typically offer cheaper licensing and registration requirements.

8

AlphaTangoFoxtrt t1_ivfg5ct wrote

Mostly they've been gas powered. There's not really been a push to go electric with them because they tend to get 100 mpg or more (tiny engine, light weight).

When you're that fuel efficient there's just not a demand for electric.

6

jsaucedo t1_ivfg6ld wrote

Why are there foot pedals?

25

kreygmu t1_ivfitk0 wrote

Mopeds used to have pedals! That's what the "ped" bit in the name means. I actually think there's something in having a compact vehicle like this that can have pedal assist to boost its range/flexibility, guess Honda think something similar.

19

surnik22 t1_ivfl8hc wrote

Since it has pedals it’s will likely legally be an electric bike. Which various states and cities already have laws for. Most are related to “top speed” which classifies and regulates them accordingly. Usually 20-25 mph unassisted is the limit.

But if this goes faster they could also just have a way to switch on artificial limits. Set the scooter to bike mode and it can only go 25 mph but is legal in bike lanes and without a motorcycle license. Set it to scooter mode and it can go faster but legally you need what you would need for an electric motorcycle.

3

ryraps5892 t1_ivflgbh wrote

In terms of comparing to other brands: Honda is an economic option for cars, but as we all know, cars are expensive rn so that’s not saying much. They have some of the most expensive generators in the business. They’re really good, but you can get a Cummins generator for like, half the price. Their motorcycles are also good, but they’re again very expensive in this category as well…

Taking the information I know about honda… and what i already know as a current moped owner, as well as the hype surrounding e-bikes/mopeds booming demand for cheap transportation alternatives in this economy. Honestly, I don’t see this being under 5 grand for the first-gen models.

Very unfortunate the way the moped/e-bike industry is headed. Rather than targeting the audience that can’t afford cars and really need reliable transportation, they’re going to price these for yuppies who wanna avoid traffic between their job and overpriced brownstone apartment. It’s sad honestly, if I could snag one of these for like 2 1/2 grand I would.

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Buckwheat469 t1_ivfnsek wrote

If they can electrify the CT90 without losing any of it's features, range, or trail capabilities then that would be great. They just remade it as a 125cc model.

41

RoastDozer t1_ivfobgl wrote

Please god may it make some sort of noise

Edit: To the comment down-voters: The next time you are walking or riding your bike and one of these zippy e-bikes plows you from behind at 40mph (with no warning of any kind), remember your downvote (and lube). It needs to make some kind of George Jetson noise.

−8

Wifdat t1_ivfyi6y wrote

Take my money plz

1

roxyamused t1_ivfyxiv wrote

Pretty cute, though the color scheme is a little drab for my tastes.

9

nickstatus t1_ivfz3yc wrote

In the past I've had a gas moped, I currently have an electric moped, and on both those pedals are essentially useless. You're not going anywhere with those pedals. I think they are included as a sort of legal fig leaf. Also, they're not light, at all. My electric moped weighs 120 lbs.

7

FuckFashMods t1_ivg00ih wrote

I mean you can get decent e-bikes for $1000 and really good ones for $2000 and a decent regular bike is like at least 400- 500$.

If you have like a $2000 2010 car, I think you're very soon going to figure out why you were able to buy it for $2000

3

1live4downvotes t1_ivg0i8j wrote

uggg in my state/city the rules are so dumb! The bike lanes are filled with people on electric scooters/bikes that really shouldn't be there. You know what I love? Being on a bike in the bike lane and having a dude on an electric bike zoom past me way to close going 20-30mph. At this point in time a lot of these things are essentially just motor cycles/mopeds which are not allowed in bike lanes. If you want to make the argument that it's safer for them to be in the bike lane, then people are missing the point of having bike lanes.

We really should start requiring more people to register these devices, like mopeds and motor cycles, and require the scrutiny. AKA head lights, brake lights, turn signals, etc. Even the people who ride unregistered dirt bikes on the road have better common sense than a lot of the electric scooter/bike people (sans the dirt bike gangs that over take entire roads doing wheelies).

−2

ryraps5892 t1_ivg1s51 wrote

That would make it unrealistically expensive for someone like me, that’s for sure. I got my cheap lil grom copy a couple years back for $1200 and put another ~$1000 in parts on it since then. Now its actually faster than the Hondas in my city… and I like the way it rides better than the Hondas I’ve tried too. It would be nice to cut out trips to the gas station every 100 miles by going electric, but is what it is, maybe someday.

3

mista_adams t1_ivg2m36 wrote

This is so dogs-balls-obvious it kills me.

0

beermaker t1_ivg3l9t wrote

Make an Electric Trail-90 next plz...

2

Grimij t1_ivg57xm wrote

Probably at least $1500-2000, and that's really low-balling. I'd say just build your own, either way.

You can build a 1500w 52v 21ah ebike that goes about 35mph with a range of 30-50miles in the realms of ~$500 if you already have a bike. Much more affordable than anything prebuilt, with far greater performance.

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Idiot_Savant_Tinker t1_ivg5qd7 wrote

I messed around with motorized bikes using ICE engines back in the late 2000's, always wanted to do an electric one... but the prices of batteries and speed controls always put it out of sight. Are batteries that much cheaper now?

21

unpaid_overtime t1_ivg7002 wrote

Please Honda, just give me an electric version of the Helix. It was already the perfect scooter, just slap some batteries and an electric motor in it.

1

renothedog t1_ivg7bwj wrote

Will most likely be twice the cost of normal scooters and not justifiable even with today’s gas prices

1

mechapoitier t1_ivg8iy8 wrote

It’s literally in the name. Moped = motor and pedals. You can ride it as a motorbike, pedal bike, or both.

In gas engine form they used to be popular but by the 1990s that was falling off. People will erroneously call motor scooters mopeds now even though they look significantly different.

2

General1lol t1_ivgav2y wrote

Depends on your local laws. In my city, bicyclists are treated as vehicles and they require no registration. This includes e-bikes (self built or not). So in my case, “road legal” requirements wouldn’t be an issue for me. For people living in a town, city, or state that has little to no provisions for bicycles on a roadway, this would likely be an issue for them.

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General1lol t1_ivgd3ik wrote

The original mopeds had pedals; pedals were how they were used starting or were designed for emergency uses if the engine wouldn’t operate. The pedals weren’t added to circumvent motorized laws per say.

I imagine most laws pertaining to mopeds would still apply to this device; although it’s unclear since there’s no “cc” classification for it. In most city laws I’ve seen, explicit terminology covering e-bikes have been added to cover those devices.

Maybe I’m nitpicking, but the average person can certainly tell this is an “electric moped” and not an “e-bike”, so the laws would fall under the former. It might not be important at all, since in some cities e-bikes are treated identically to 49cc mopeds.

2

1live4downvotes t1_ivgdru9 wrote

It may also be selection bias (or some other bias), but it also seems like a large percentage of e-bike/scooter users in my city just disregard the rules of the road. I don't think I have ever seen someone on an e-bike/scooter stop at a red light/stop sign and just do a lot of, for lack of a better term, stupid sh*t lol.

Like I said, this could just be some type of bias due to me remember annoying people more than others, but I think the e crowd has attracted a lot of inconsiderate people. I saw something similar happen with cyclists when COVID first happened. People who never road bikes in a city started getting bikes/renting them more but were riding them like they were the only ones on the road.

It is just sad because it gives the rest of the people a bad name. I cannot tell you how many people have screamed at me for being on a bike when I am doing everything correct. Had one dude scream at me at a red light for "cutting him off", despite looking, seeing I had room to change over to the left turn lane, signaling, and finally turning. I ended up yelling back at him "I SIGNALLED" and did the same signaling move I did before. He then calmed down and was like "oh shit you know what you're right, you did signal it just didn't register".

4

surnik22 t1_ivggaof wrote

I mean, I can only speak for my city/state confidently.

But if it has pedals and is electric it will be treated as an e-bike. It will have classifications based on top speed unassisted, but it can be an artificial limit.

Which to me is a huge benefit. Ebikes don’t have insurance, registration, or license requirements. And can be on bike lanes. The top speed of 25 mph isn’t ideal always, but in a city you rarely would be going faster and being able to use bike lanes and paths more than makes up for the speed reduction.

2

lmp9002002 t1_ivgh9sd wrote

Are there guides somewhere for this sort of thing? Was going to google but that sounds pretty specific. This sounds incredible compared to typical ebike prices.

3

nirad t1_ivgk20b wrote

Can this use the bike lane? The rules are so blurry in the US.

1

Blapanda t1_ivgncos wrote

I will wait for hydrogen engines. Electric motors are way too costly and way to expensive, for the value they do deliver (range per charge). And their image of being pure green is bs.

Downvote me you dumbfs all you want, truth is, battery production in that manner and the size is no where near a green-mark. Hydrogen on the other hand will be more likely more energy efficient in producing it and won't grief nor exploit 3rd world countries for their resources. 🖕

−4

Priff t1_ivgnpk5 wrote

Batteries are definitely cheaper now.

But also, you can scavenge a lot of the parts from stuff like broken electric scooters. They go for practically nothing on Facebook marketplace.

I'm considering buying a couple and putting the parts from them into a power wheels toy car. For the lulz.

11

darkfred t1_ivgpnpw wrote

So, 11 years later than when you could first import one from china for $1200?

Wanna place bets on range and cost, and how that compares to both current ebikes and commuter e-scooters available elsewhere for a decade?

This could be so great, if it comes in cheap with commuter range and a top speed of 55mph. Or it could be terrible.

4

Popomatik t1_ivgq47z wrote

With pedals it’s considered a moped, in my state it’s 50$ to register for 2 years and needs no insurance. Without pedals it’s considered a motorcycle and has to be registered and insured similar to a car.

2

[deleted] t1_ivgryfo wrote

Maybe they could make some of those kid cars for adults

−1

tossme68 t1_ivgs9id wrote

Very few people on bikes, e or otherwise pay attention to stop signs or traffic lights. I'm totally fine with treating stops signs as yields (like they do in the Netherlands) but stop lights are a different story. I've been biking in a city for 35+ years and spent some time as a bike messenger so I know how to ride in traffic and blowing through a light at 20+mph on your ebike is a quick way to go to the hospital.

I think we are reaching critical mass as far as e-vehicle regulation. Call them e-whatever they are still motorized vehicles and need to be treated as such, I love the idea of ebikes, they are a great alternative to a car and I will likely buy one in the next year or two but the execution has just been a free for all.

4

HahaFreeSpeech t1_ivgsq2e wrote

Sounds too specific to Google? Did you try something crazy like “Build Electric Bike” or “How to build an Electronic Bike”? It’s just so wacky that it might actually work.

−11

LonelyGameBoi t1_ivgt4im wrote

Im pretty sure ebikes are optimized for pedaling occasionally assisted by a motor whereas mopeds are meant for motors occasionally assited by the pedals.

Not to mention that ebikes and mopeds have different gearing and form factors

Either way its I think its neat

3

tossme68 t1_ivgthqv wrote

>but in a city you rarely would be going faster

Have you been to NYC or Chicago in the last few years? Every food delivery guy is on an Ebike going as fast as they can in the bike lanes. Regulation is coming I just don't think the government knows how to handle ebike -hopefully they see the good in ebikes and don't do something ham handed but they likely will.

1

Idiot_Savant_Tinker t1_ivgtqvi wrote

I have a big brushless DC motor from an electric lawnmower that is begging to be put on something. I've got the controller figured out, but then I look online and see people building these battery packs by spot welding tons of cells together that they've taken out of discarded laptops or whatever, and I just lose motivation.

4

tossme68 t1_ivgubgg wrote

>a decent regular bike is like at least 400- 500$

maybe if you are buying a huffy or some other punch out bike at Wal-mart but any name brand bike is much closer to $1000 than $500.

2

surnik22 t1_ivgv1kk wrote

I mean, those are literally the laws for Chicago.

That doesn’t mean people obey the laws. It’s like cars with speed limits, or trucks with weight limits, or noise limits on vehicles, or any other number of things that are regulated but not regularly enforced.

It’s hard to enforce a lot of regulations, including a speed limit on an electric bike. Especially when it can be sold as an electric bike where the limit is only digitally set and you can just turn the limiter on/off. But any sort of other regulation on motor size is gonna be equally silly. A motor that can go 30 mph for a 100 pound woman might only be able to go 20 mph with a 300 pound man carrying deliveries.

1

Priff t1_ivgv3vj wrote

You can take a battery pack from one of those kickbike scooters, they're usually 40v.

Another option is ordering a battery pack, lifepo packs come in loads of sizes with built in bms and everything pretty cheap.

5

Avendura t1_ivgx3pa wrote

Will this have the swappable battery like in Taiwan and Japan?

5

1live4downvotes t1_ivgyjn2 wrote

> blowing through a light at 20+mph on your ebike is a quick way to go to the hospital.

Whenever people ask me how I ride in a city, I just tell them I have 3 rules.

  1. Wear a helmet

  2. Assume no one can see your, and if they can they are actively trying to hit you.

  3. BE PREDICTIBLE! This means stopping or at least yielding at stop signs/red lights. Biking with traffic (I cannot tell you how many idiots bike against traffic... even when there is a bike lane on the correct side of the street). Not salmoning through traffic (I know this is a thing a lot of people do, but I don't do it because no one is expecting a bike to zoom past them when waiting in a line of cars at a red light). etc. etc.

3

casechopper t1_ivgzxnb wrote

It would probably make more sense to compare with Honda motor scooters which I believe start around $3k and run to around $7-8k or so. Bicycles can get really expensive due to high spend on keeping weight extremely low. That isn't as necessary on a powered vehicle since the motor/engine compensates for the added weight.

6

LGP747 t1_ivh3x08 wrote

Doesn’t Honda already make this?

1

lmp9002002 t1_ivh4cgw wrote

How about "1500w 52v 21ah ebike that goes about 35mph with a range of 30-50miles in the realms of ~$500 if you already have a bike"? He was very specific so i thought it was worth asking.

You're not helping.

8

ericd50 t1_ivh64hl wrote

I like how every picture makes it almost impossible to see the pedals.

1

tossme68 t1_ivh6n6m wrote

totally. As I said I was a messenger way back when so I don't have a lot of love for people in cars, they don't like to share the road and don't take a lot of responsibility for driving a 4000lb piece of steel. Every messenger I knew had at least one bad wreck, I went through 2 windshields in my short career and neither was my fault -both drivers excuse was "they didn't see me"....when they drove into me. The thing is there are enough assholes to go around on both sides, but the guy on the bike is always going to lose. I do think part of the issue is that cops just ignore the guy on the bike unless he's being a complete ass and they are "clamping down" or "making an example" -they just need to enforce the law, if some bozo blows through a light write them a ticket, it's not hard. Both sides need to learn to respect the other side and both sides needs to take some more responsibility for their actions.

3

Blyatt-Man t1_ivhbyd0 wrote

Look at the Emmo monster. That’s what I use for Uber eats. Looks exactly like the Honda ruckus I have an 84v 50 AH battery for it, top speed 55kmh range over 100km paid about 8k for it but it’s paying itself off doing gas free deliveries.

0

jb122894 t1_ivhdc6l wrote

Not gas. Dumb.

−4

nirad t1_ivhnhcl wrote

it was kind of a joke, because it has really gotten ridiculous without any regulation on the matter. if you add pedals to a Harley, can it use the bike lane?

3

Teamnoq t1_ivhpz86 wrote

It’s amazing that this was digitally printed!

1

hugganao t1_ivhq7xn wrote

this shit looks like it was made in the 90s... who designed this??? cuz they need to fire whoever it was.

2

SteelBox5 t1_ivhtr7r wrote

Death machines with all the bad drivers in my city.

1

zippyzoodles t1_ivhv00r wrote

He was a scooter boy. He said see you later boy.

2

MattVanAndel t1_ivhv147 wrote

You know what else Honda should do?

Valkyrie Rune Electric

1

mayonaise_plantain t1_ivi5ir0 wrote

It is if you just buy an already road-legal gas scooter and convert it.

Most older 2-cycle mopeds/scooters can be found non-running for like $150, and they'll come with the registration, hi/low beams, horn, etc.

From there, you just gotta be sure your conversion isn't getting too wild since most states now have a provision that states a maximum motor wattage for a scooter to still be a scooter (usually around 1200 watts).

The downside is the effort for the conversion - it's def more involved than a bicycle. And you gotta insure, plate, and register it (very cheap, but still...)

The upside is that you get a legit, road legal e-scooter and for some reason a scooter in traffic going 30 mph is just way more respected than a bicycle going the same speed. It sure "looks the part" if nothing else.

3

sonofgildorluthien t1_ivi80cj wrote

Those are really nice liquor cycles. Is there a option to attach a milk crate on the back?

2

F-21 t1_iviakvt wrote

Especially the CT is more of an "adventure" design. It makes some sense in the city but if you're in a more remote area... The ultra efficient and reliable Honda engine is optimised to the point that I'm not sure the electric version is more green or cheaper to run at all.

I wish they sold the trail 125 over here in Europe :(

1

finedrive t1_ivib3i6 wrote

Why they make mopeds so ugly? It’s like how hybrid car designs always try to be quirky until Tesla came around.

1

doom1282 t1_ivieipp wrote

Give me an electric Honda Ruckus and I'll buy one in a heart beat.

1

FavoritesBot t1_iviho2i wrote

Sure but enforcement on that is going to be nonexistent. If you aren’t speeding they can’t know just from looking that it’s capable of going faster (eg when you take it to the track)

That said I’m a pussy and wouldn’t want to go faster than 35 on an ebike anyway

3

Cash907 t1_ivij9ef wrote

What’s the benefit of this when you could just get an e-bike for less money and weight?

1

rakkoma t1_ivilsw6 wrote

This is pretty exciting as I’ve been really wanting an electric scooter for a few years now. I hope the range is decent on this one.

1

hexahedron17 t1_ivilv9f wrote

Dear honda:

Please make a successor to the motocompo pleasepleasepleaseplease

1

PossiblyAsian t1_ivimuj9 wrote

This already exists.

The real shit is if its reliable since its now coming from a major manufacturer

1

F-21 t1_ivip49g wrote

> 2 stroke engines are dirty AF

The CT125 is 4 stroke and the ultra-efficient engine is rated to 158MPG, with over 120-130MPG actually achievable.

It quite literally runs on fumes.

1

racinreaver t1_ivird8g wrote

Everything is 100% safe until it isn't. For a lot of us the risk of a battery fire from a self-assembled system isn't worth the nonpayment of a homeowner's insurance claim (or, honestly, even worse, damaging a rental, apartment building, or employer's property).

3

i7-4790Que t1_ivizsyl wrote

Can get 180Wh worth of Dewalt batteries (+ charger) for under $100 right now at Home Depot with Holiday promos. The 6 Ah XR in that bundle would have a far superior Samsung 30T 21700. 10 per pack. 5S2P config.

There's also value in utility. Especially if you are invested into a decent power tool platform. (Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita) Your money goes further if you have a bunch of devices that can share the same battery. I run as much stuff as I can off 5.0 Ah Makita packs I basically paid no more than $7/Ah on. (Buy sales, batteries get super cheap)

Wouldn't exactly call used Eve cells that you might have to rebuild sooner rather than later a good value long term. They have a paltry 7.65A rated cell with comparatively low capacity, probably closer to 2-2.2 Ah since its a refurb/used 18650 from a 3rd rate manufacturer.

Samsung 30Ts blow that Eve crap out of the water. 35A cell, up to 70A @ 18V in 5S2P.

1

0IIIIII t1_ivj01o5 wrote

The Honda Cub EV has been “coming soon” for literally ten+ years. I’ll wait until I can buy it before being hopeful.

1

lifeofideas t1_ivj7stq wrote

In Japan it is very common to have bicycles with electric motor assistance. The motors are surprisingly powerful and make climbing hills easy. You can also maintain speeds like 15-20 mph. I think I got maybe as much as 6 hours use out of one charge.

1

rbm5020 t1_ivjmvrs wrote

Honda, make an electric ruckus already

1

N3rdProbl3ms t1_ivjp1n1 wrote

Exactly. It makes me think of those 3 min craft montages of "look what you can make without having to go to the store and buying it! Sooo easy!".

Nah. I'm ordering it for in-store pickup, swooping it, and calling it a day

1

DingoDoug t1_ivk922j wrote

Didn’t they already have the Ruckus?

1

F-21 t1_ivka717 wrote

The article you listed is nearly 20 years old and was no longer relevant that same year it was written because Euro 3 emission standards came in 2006 for motorcycle. Motorcycles sold today have to emmit 5-6 times less CO than Euro 2 motorcycles that were modern when that article was written (not to mention other pollutants or bikes that were slightly old at the time, or 25 years old, as the article talks about, so bikes that are by now nearly half a century old).

I don't think any motorcycle sold in first world countries can legally not have a catalytic converter. Every scooter here in Europe has it.

1

sentientlob0029 t1_ivklq41 wrote

Would be fun to see the reports of how many were knocked off road due to cars not hearing them coming lol.

1

CaptCaCa t1_ivkqseo wrote

My bird scooter does 27 mph, shouldnt this go a bit faster than that?

1

knx0305 t1_ivl9evi wrote

Not the most pretty moped though.

1

zkareface t1_ivlvbmu wrote

I'd be surprised if its cheaper than $4999.

Honestly probably going to be $6999 in my area.

$1000 gives an ebike that breaks down first year.

Honda is known for quality, not being cheap.

3

Toarilla t1_ivmbcxb wrote

Love it! It's an electric trail

1