The Tiny Honda Motocompacto Electric Scooter Can Help Fix Your Carbon Footprint

In the early 1980s, hyper-efficient Hondas and Toyotas were outselling American cars by the handful. Gas was expensive and people were looking for inexpensive and efficient transportation. Honda came up with the tiny Motocompo scooter, which was only sold for two years. The Motocompo's claim to fame was that it folded up to the size of a small suitcase and could be paid for as an option on, and stored in the trunks of, some of the subcompact Hondas of the era.

Today, people are again looking for inexpensive, efficient transportation, but for different reasons. Automakers, their suppliers and industries in general are aiming to reduce their carbon emissions, just like many individuals. Honda is trying to capitalize on this, as well as some nostalgia, by introducing the new Motocompacto, an electric take on the '80s icon.

The new Honda Motocompacto is all electric and has a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour. Honda says it can go 12 miles before a recharge, which only takes 3.5 hours on a 110-volt home outlet. Like its predecessor, the Motocompacto is compact and stackable and comes with a carrying case.

Folded up for carrying, the Motocompacto's dimensions are 29 inches in length, 21.1 inches of height and only 3.7 inches of width. When unfolded and with the foot pegs engaged it grows to 17 inches wide and 38.1 inches long. It weighs 41.3 pounds, making it carry-able, but not for long distances. It's still a far cry from the original, which weighed in at 92 pounds.

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Though small, the scooter is built for adults, with Honda saying it would be perfect in city centers or around college campuses. It has a cushy foam seat, pop-out foot pegs and on-board storage. It also comes with a digital speedometer, charge gauge and an app that can adjust settings via Bluetooth.

"Motocompacto is uniquely Honda—a fun, innovative and unexpected facet of our larger electrification strategy," said Jane Nakagawa, vice president of the R&D Business Unit at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., in a press release. "Sold in conjunction with our new all-electric SUVs, Motocompacto supports our goal of carbon neutrality by helping customers with end-to-end zero-emissions transport."

The new scooter was designed at Honda's location in Ohio, at its performance center, and in California. The company was granted 32 patents in the creation of the product, which could still conceivably be carried on public transportation to decrease the owner's carbon footprint even more.

It only has 490 watts of power, equal to about two-thirds of one horsepower. It has 11.8 pound-feet of torque to go along with that, all sent to the single front wheel.

The new Honda Motocompacto will be sold at Honda and Acura dealerships, as well as at the Motocompacto website. It now costs $995, far more expensive than the original, which was a $332 option available with the Honda City hatchback. The zero-emission scooter goes on sale in November.