Honda may have dragged its feet for years when it came to electric two-wheelers, but the company has now released a number of new and interesting designs. The latest is the ultra-affordable Honda U-GO electric scooter.
The U-GO sports a simple design and fairly simple features. For example, the LCD display is far below the fancier options found on higher-priced electric scooters. But, if you just want to get from A to B cheaply on emission-free transport, the U-GO represents a very attractive proposition.
The company has announced two versions of the U-GO with different speeds and power levels, with a starting price of just $1,150 (£825).
So far, Honda has only announced the U-GO for its Chinese market, but many of these low-cost and low-spec’d scooters have started out following the same plan. India and China together see the bulk of new electric scooter and motorcycle launches, mainly thanks to a combination of government incentives and large-scale adoption of scooter and motorcycle commuting among the population.
Companies like NIU, Gogoro and Ola began their electric scooter operations in Asia before setting their sights on European expansion. In NIU’s case, the leading electric scooter manufacturer has even penetrated the North American market, often one of the final markets to receive new electric scooter models from the East.
So while there is no news regarding U-GOs zipping up and down the city streets of NYC or London any time soon, that doesn’t mean Honda won’t eventually play ball and bring its new electric scooters out to play in Europe and the Americas.