An electric motorcycle bearing a Honda badge is bound to attract serious attention – and lately, the rumor mill has been buzzing. Has Honda finally launched its first fully functional electric motorcycle? You might’ve seen headlines suggesting as much, but there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
Yes, an electric motorcycle has officially been unveiled under the Honda name, but it’s not a global Honda release. It’s produced by Wuyang-Honda, Honda’s Chinese joint venture, and intended solely for the Chinese e-bike market (at least for now).
Called the E-VO, it is a cafe-racer styled urban moto intended for the masses. As opposed to an outright Honda product, the E-VO is the byproduct of a joint venture between Guangzhou Motorcycle Group (owned by car manufacturer GAC) and Honda. It is the first "full-size" electric motorcycle produced by Wuyang-Honda, but it’s not its only two-wheeler, with a number of electric scooters already in its lineup.
Despite its sleek and sporty appearance, the E-VO isn’t designed for speed demons. Its motor produces 8 kW (11 hp) continuously and can hit 15.8 kW in short bursts – around 21 horsepower overall. That’s well below superbike territory, but solid for an urban commuter.
WMTC tests give it a 75-mph (120-km/h) top speed and a range of 105 miles (169 km) in its most powerful configuration, which makes use of three batteries. The less expensive, two-battery trim can travel 75 miles (120 km) on a single charge and can reach a top speed of 68 mph (110 km/h).
The E-VO, in contrast to some other electric bikes, also features an integrated charger that allows it to be connected to either a household power source or more powerful AC chargers meant for electric cars. For the three-battery setup, the E-VO takes 150 minutes to fully charge with domestic current and about 90 minutes with a car charger. In comparison, the two-battery 4.1-kWh pack can be charged in 90 minutes using domestic power or 60 minutes via a car charger.
Taking a look at the underpinnings, the 6.3-kWh three-battery version of the E-VO weighs 344 lb (156 kg), while the two-battery version weighs 315 lb (143 kg). The suspension system employs a monoshock with a 14-inch wheel at the back, while a telescopic fork in front holds a 16-inch wheel. The seat height is set to 30.1 inches (765 mm).
The motor is chassis-mounted with a belt drive to the rear wheel, as opposed to hub-mounted as is the case on most Chinese electric bikes. It has three riding modes (Normal, Eco, and Sport) to vary the trade-off between performance and energy consumption.
A 7-inch TFT-LCD screen in the cockpit shows all the crucial information, including music, navigation, tire pressure, battery life, and notably, DJI camera connectivity. Keyless unlocking and DVR cameras are among the riding conveniences offered. While the 4.1-kWh E-VO comes with just a front camera, the 6.3-kWh trim also combines rear and foot cameras to the setup.
Beneath all of that bodywork, the bike sits on a forged aluminum frame with two batteries located low down and a third above them (on the three-battery model, which is otherwise a storage space).
When compared to bikes with comparable performance, the E-VO differentiates itself with its cost. In China, the range-topping, three-battery model costs ¥36,999 yuan, which is just north of US$5,000, while the less expensive model costs ¥29,999 (roughly US$4,000).
Even accounting for potential tariffs, that’s competitive with comparable internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycles. But no formal announcement of a global release has followed yet.
Here’s where things get complicated. Many headlines have wrongly called the E-VO Honda’s first electric motorcycle. In reality, Honda has produced electric two-wheelers before (most notably the Honda PCX Electric launched in 2018). These were mostly small-displacement, step-through models.
As Electrek points out, the E-VO isn't a pure Honda product. It’s a Wuyang-Honda creation, meaning it’s a Chinese joint-venture model produced by Wuyang, not a Honda-developed global release. Wuyang manufactures its own domestic-market-only motorcycles in addition to some Honda-developed motorcycles for the Chinese market. The E-VO belongs to the latter category. Look closely at the badging: “Wuyang” appears in smaller print on the E-VO, while “Honda” is more prominent – a branding choice clearly intended to capitalize on Honda’s global reputation.
But all of this does not imply that Honda will never manufacture a street bike or full-sized e-moto globally. If the E-VO sells well in China, Honda could take note. But a full-size electric streetbike wearing a proper Honda badge in the West is likely still several years away.
Source: Wuyang-Honda
