Honda’s Electric Powered Scooters

So you thought that Honda's fuel cell efforts were directed only at cars? Think again. Honda has unveiled three new scooter prototypes that offer three different methods of propulsion,

including fuel cell (shown), hybrid electric, and pure electric. The power unit in Honda's fuel cell scooter is derived from the company's advanced FC stack, in use in the automaker's limited production FCX passenger vehicle but redesigned in this application to be smaller and lighter.

All are developmental concepts without any plans for production, aimed at exploring the potential for alternative transportation in the single-seat vehicle class. That said, if one were to move forward toward production, it would likely be Honda's entirely electric-powered Moped-EV scooter. Built around a compact aluminum frame weighing less than 100 pounds, this scooter features a 360 watt-hour nickel-metal-hydride battery powerful enough to allow it to climb a 12 degree incline...not bad for an electric scooter. A module in the scooter's rear wing arm integrates the electric motor and controller, with driver input provided by a thumb lever rather than a traditional grip throttle.