Motocompacto from Honda, 3.7 inch wide Briefcase-form Electric Scooter | Hacker News Reader

Motocompacto from Honda, 3.7 inch wide Briefcase-form Electric Scooter

motocompacto.honda.com

128 pointssizzle86 comments

A design sequel to the Motocompo! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Motocompo

The original is now a collector's item worth thousands. If Honda sells the Motocompacto it'll be mostly to Honda enthusiasts looking for a neat trunk item.

I've been daydreaming of stacking a 5 pack of em in the boot for family use exploring places during weekends away. Kids would have an absolute ball ripping around on one of those.

Hoverboards or electric unicycles might fit the bill, depending on how well your kids can balance. I have a $300 folding scooter that fits in my Honda's trunk and has more capability than the Motocompacto- the value proposition of a slightly smaller package is not amazing.

Yeah nah two wheels > 1. My kids are accident prone af so I'll give em any help they can get to mitigate that lol.

But also the Honda appeals because it's a big brand. With that comes a lot of users and hopefully lots of mods. There is lots of space in that middle bit that holds the battery and charger. Without a doubt I'd be able to sneak a larger battery in. Not to mention parts will probably be available from the multiple local Honda dealers making repairs easy af in just about any region. Lots of value that isn't just in the spec sheet.

Fingers crossed they release it here (aus). I want to switch as much of my family's transport to electric or public transport as soon as i can afford it. Fuel prices are making ice vehicles unusable.

What is it?

If hoverboards existed, that is...

Often-explosive miniature Segway clones in 2-wheel parallel and unicycle configs are somehow called hoverboards circa 2017. Don't like the idea of materializing it that way but created cheap supply for robotics research platform it seems.

Don't e-scooters fit that bill? slightly different form factor - more umbrella than briefcase - but cost much less than $5k.

A motocompo came up for sale locally a couple of months ago for only a couple of 1000, shame I missed it. Classic design.

At 40lbs this thing is only half the weight of the full gas-powered 'compo, way too heavy for a modern take -it's basically an e-scooter with cosmetic panels.

When I saw the title, I thought it might be about the retro one.

Price $995, available November. See article in The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/14/23872334/honda-motocompac...

A 12 mile range and price point of $1000? Who is this for?

> the delightfully square-shaped two-wheeler is billed as a first- and last-mile solution “designed for the new realities of urban mobility.”

My first thought was salarymen going from train to home or office, not for home to office directly as some other solutions would be better at.

At 42 lbs or 19 kg, I find it hard to believe that anybody would be lugging this around more than a minute or two. The people I know that do take e-scooters to places typically roll them into the station and only fold them to stow, so the carrying is not very important.

I fit this description and would love to have one. It's less cumbersome than a bicycle and I'd arrive to work much less sweaty.

Show a picture of an adult riding one, you cowards.

I'm not sure any of the images are even photos. They all seem like CGI.

If you watch the video, you'll at least see the proportions (even if it's CGI).

They had one in the press kit.

https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/01-Honda-M...

Oh I like that more than I expected.

It's like a mouse riding a credit card. It feels... human. I would like the world to have more cute nerdy fun like this in it.

Great, now show it in a new "OK Go" video.

Old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ZB_rGFyeU

Now someone well over 6 feet. It's hard enough to get a frame big enough as it is and you have to go around with the seatpost just barely in the tube.

It did give a friend groin strain when he tried to get on it once, so that's an anti theft measure I suppose.

Now do someone well over 400 pounds!

For completeness, you can buy suitcase scooters with actual luggage space right now[1].

I actually saw a child riding one (not this model, but similar) at the airport on a recent trip. I'm sure they were having fun but I doubt it's useful enough to warrant the cost and weight penalty over a regular carry-on bag for most adults. Any adult incapable of walking through an airport likely doesn't have the flexibility and balance required to ride this safely.

[1] https://www.airwheel.net

Scootcase

AKA what most people know of as “the suitcases that Blackpink use”. They popularized it when they were filmed riding on them last winter.

12 mile range?? i bought a scooter that is smaller (only long, not long+tall) with greater range for less than half the price, 4 years ago.

With Honda being a big company the development started likely before you bought your scooter.

Looks nice but 12 mile range? My electric bike which has a battery the size of a soda bottle can do 70km (43 miles) in one charge.

Agree on the range being low, but I’m pretty sure you have to assist the bike mechanically to reach that range.

Good point :)

The Segway scooters are a better comparison, those can go 25-45km on a charge. There are other models that can do 100km+, it’s a quite dramatic gap to what Honda is offering.

The battery is actually really small. There is storage space inside.

Are there any pictures or video of anybody actually sitting on the thing on their web site?

The only use case I could see for myself using one would be to get from the station to the office, but e-scooters are banned on trains in the UK. Otherwise it (or similar) is something I might have considered.

But this is a suitcase!

the fact that this looks like it can't stand up upright is a real missed opportunity to make this more "suitcase"-y

Why are e-scooters banned on trains? That’s sad. A small scooter for a last mile commute sounds great.

I believe there were a few that caught fire.

I'm sure if they were properly regulated and people weren't importing iffy ones from wish.com that don't meet safety standards, this wouldn't have been such a problem.

Aside from some pilot programs, I think e-scooters are still technically banned in every public space in UK, as they are considered motor vehicles and are not (yet) insurable.

Not that that seems to stop anybody.

Looks like it would be perfect for cruising around my town. It isn't fast, and it doesn't reach max speed quickly, but a 12 mile range means I'd only have to charge it once a week maybe.

Out of curiosity, at that point why not a bicycle?

At the point where you’re happy traveling at or below 15mph for 1.5mi total a day (so two trips of 3/4mi), the effort involved is nearly nothing.

Just for handy reference, 10mph is a mile every six minutes. So we’re talking about bike trips on the order of about five minutes at a very low intensity.

You can fold this and bring it into an office that doesn’t provide bicycle parking. Also some people detest any form of physical strain, fearing they might get sweaty or ruffle their clothing.

There are plenty of foldable bikes that take up very little space when folded.

Yep and they cost less than half and weigh about half of what this weighs.

A five minute, low-intensity bike ride is not going to make you sweaty or noticeably ruffle your clothing, unless you’re in an environment where simply walking would.

And as a sibling noted, foldable bikes exist and are smaller, lighter, and cheaper than this.

And loads more fun. A Brompton looks wacky but rides like a much bigger bike.

For some of us (genetically predisposed to sweating a lot), it definitely would. I am a pretty athletic person but just walking between two rooms with a shift in temperature makes me sweat. A five minute bike ride makes me have to change clothes.

So just like the electric Brompton[1] except 3.5kg heavier, less practical and a lot more expensive.

Being heavy when riding isn’t that bad but being heavy when carried up stairs is.

I love the novelty of this; it’s James Bond’s scooter. It’s a wonderful concept, collector’s item but not a serious means of transport.

Personally, I’d rather have a 7.45kg non-electric Brompton than a 19kg scooter with a short range.

1. https://www.brompton.com/p/823/electric-p-line-urban-with-ro...

The Verge reports the Honda will launch at $995[1], while the Bromptom lists for $4700[2] so I don't know how you say it is a lot more expensive? Do you have a different figure for the price?

1. https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/14/23872334/honda-motocompac... 2. https://us.brompton.com/p/766/electric-p-line-urban

I'm not opposed to a bike, but as someone mentioned below the heat here during the summer isn't conducive to bike riding or walking to work. It's currently 90.5 F in the shade but I'd stay cool enough riding an electric scooter, not so with the bike.

Another concern I'd have is tail spray from the back wheel in wet weather, I've had clothes stained from a similar mechanism in the past.

A five minute, 10mph ride is not going to cause you to appreciably sweat. At least not more so than a walk in the same conditions.

Most commuter bikes and folding bikes come stock with fenders which eliminate tail spray.

It looks really impractical. The only benefit it is smallish, but since it is heavy I don’t see there are many people who would use it

12 miles on a single charge sounds very little.

It is, but it's further than I'd want to ride something like this, so it's fine.

But it begs the question: why have something so huge if its range is terrible? Electric scooters are more compact, transportable, comfortable, you're more visible because you're standing, etc.

An e-scooter doesn't have an obvious way to pick it up and carry it with you. This is basically an e-scooter, but very narrow and shaped like a briefcase with a handle, which seems like an improvement for transporting it. It would be nice if it was a standing ride, that would probably be more comfortable.

> An e-scooter doesn't have an obvious way to pick it up and carry it with you.

Yeah but this is 41 lbs, so you aren't going very far with it.

True, but I imagine it's mostly carried on/off busses or in/out of a building entrance, and not much farther.

I have a folding e-scooter that I can and do carry into my home, on a train, into a friend's apartment. It has a higher top speed and range than this.

What model? I'm looking for something that isn't awkward to carry around or on a bus.

Literally some cheapo Amazon one that says "SWAG" on it. I don't think it's for sale anymore.

"Hiboy" sells multiple folding models on Amazon. I have one (can't remember the exact model) and the folding feature makes it pretty convenient to carry.

Range 20+ miles, top speed 18mph. Air-filled tires are a nightmare when you get a flat, but you can replace them with non-air tires.

If that was all battery the range would be huge.

It would also be ludicrously heavy.

E-scooters are actually banned in a lot of places because of the menace called cheap rental escooters.

So this is an alternative to that. Also the size and weight is more compact than escooters.

If there is a regulation of e-scooters in a location it will also be applied to this one given some time. It's just a different form factor imho.

That's best-case though. Going uphill or with headwind will reduce it a lot.

I'd say it's perfectly acceptable given how it'd mostly be used for the sub 5 miles range.

If you're going further, there's definitely better options, or bus/train.

It looks like there's extra space inside to hold the charger above what looks like a fairly compact battery, so it would have been nice if they included some mechanism to have an extension battery optionally stored inside of it instead of the charger...

Maybe someone will figure out how to add one.

It both seems awesome, but also like a slow (12mph) low-range heavier (40lb) scooter.

Beautiful design but no lock point to attach it (with its accessories secured to a lamp post or a bike rack?

And no handle to lift it like a suitcase?

Under the "Recreational Fun" heading at the bottom:

> Out shopping or sightseeing and need to leave Motocompacto outside? The steel welded lock loop on the kickstand is designed to be compatible with most bike locks.

Is it going to be sold in the US? Their previous interesting electric offering, the "Honda e" did not come to the US.

And the video shows it on the sidewalk, where no mechanized thing belongs...

Updated: Wheelchairs, accessibility scooters, etc exempted.

Isn't this just an electric step with a saddle bolted on? I've seen kids ghettorigging chairs onto those for ages.

Some people like buying thoughtfully designed products instead of ghettorigging I guess

There are already non ghetto versions of that. I’m not sure they fold though, but $1000? Damn.

I could see myself taking a ride on my Motocompacto down to the Rancho Relaxo

Would not be legal in Toronto where it would need pedals

Oh, upright! I was expecting something like the Walkcar.

Looks like a folding table with wheels.

Looks fun!

So they added a square box around a scooter with a seat post…?

suspension ?

Low speed e-scooters usually don't have independent suspension components, instead using the springiness of the wheel.

Tyre in fact, if the wheel is noticably springy there's really something wrong with it :)

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