Electric two-wheeler segment in China is far more evolved, as compared to the Indian market
Honda’s Chinese subsidiary Wuyang Honda has multiple electric two-wheelers in the Chinese market including electric bicycles, electric moped, and electric scooters. The company has recently launched two new products, one of which is U-GO electric scooter. The second product is U-be, which is pretty radical in it design and form.
Honda U-be electric scooter – key features
Meant for short city sprints, Honda U-be is a single seat electric scooter. It looks just like a standard electric scooter, but at the rear, the pillion section has been chopped off completely. That leaves the rear wheels in a protruding position. It may take some time to accept the radical design of U-be and to understand that it’s focused more on utility.
The basic idea is to reduce overall weight of the scooter, so that it can extract more miles from the battery. Honda U-be comes with a large floorboard, which can be used to carry a wide variety of heavy items such as groceries, luggage, etc.
The scooter has a comfortable upright riding stance. With the large foot space, users can expect optimal comfort and easy mount and dismount. Other key features include anti-theft key lock and USB port.
Once the brain adjusts to its radical profile, one can appreciate that this scooter is quite cute indeed. Some key styling bits include trendy headlamp with integrated turn indicators, sharp tail lamp, and comfy, dual-tone saddle with quilted pattern.
The scooter is equipped with a stylish digital instrument console that displays a range of information such as speed, odometer, mileage, voltage, and battery status. Colour options for U-be include white, grey, red and blue.
Honda U-be powertrain and specs
Depending on their needs, customers can choose from three battery packs – 48V-15Ah, 48V-20Ah and 48V-24Ah. Respective mileage for these battery packs is 55km, 70km, and 85km. The scooter utilizes a high-efficiency motor that is low on noise and power consumption.
Overall ride dynamics is further enhanced with the high-performance controller. It ensures smooth power supply and takes care of problem areas such as over-voltage, over-current, and over-temperature. Honda U-be can easily tackle slopes of up to 12 degrees. At 54 kg, Honda U-be will be pretty easy to manoeuvre. The only concern that some users can have is that this scooter has max speed of 25 kmph.
It is unlikely that U-be will be launched in India. Here, the company is planning something different. One of these could be Benly e electric, which was recently spotted undergoing ARAI testing. By 2024, Honda has plans to launch at least three electric two-wheelers in India.
