Honda is making up for lost time by introducing a spate of new electric scooter models, each one less expensive than the one before it. The new Honda U-BE electric scooter could be the cheapest seated electric scooter on the market.

The Honda U-BE is a follow-up to the Honda U-GO (no, not the Yugo) that we reviewed earlier this month.

Unlike the U-GO, which costs $1,150 in the United States, the U-BE costs RMB 3,099, or about $475 in the United States.

As you might have guessed from the price, it's now only available in China.

That is, in fact, how it was able to attain such a cheap cost. While the U-GO could attain reasonable city speeds of up to 30 mph (55 km/h), the U-BE is designed to fit under Chinese electric bicycle speed limits, lowering both regulatory and component costs.

The small scooter only travels at 15.5 mph (25 km/h) in the eyes of the law as an electric bicycle.

That may seem slow, but consider that this scooter is less expensive than an off-brand cell phone.


 

 The Honda U-BE isn't just weak in terms of speed. The power rating isn't particularly amazing.

A little 350W motor is housed in the back tyre. The good news is that, unlike American companies, which advertise the greater peak rate, they usually reflect the motor's continuous power rating in China. The bad news is that even at full power, the peak rate is unlikely to be much more than twice that of a half-horsepower engine.

Because of the lower power motor, the scooter can get away with a smaller removable battery. However, for individuals who require additional range, Honda offers three battery sizes: 48V15Ah (720 Wh), 48V20Ah (960 Wh), and 48V24Ah (1,152 Wh). The batteries have ranges of 34 miles (55 kilometres), 43 miles (70 kilometres), and 50 miles (80 kilometres).

Considering the size of the batteries, those ranges appear to be a little excessive, and they could even be computed based on the user adding a little extra oomph from the scooter's tiny pedals. This one, like some other low-cost, low-speed electric scooters we've seen recently in China, has vestigial pedals to ensure it qualifies as an electric bicycle, allowing users to operate it without a driver's licence.

While these electric scooters would be blown away on most American roadways, China has a plethora of bicycle and scooter highways, and many major highways have dedicated lanes for these vehicles. Traveling by 25 km/h scooter may not be the fastest or most luxurious mode of transportation, but it is an effective and inexpensive alternative to private automobiles or congested public transportation provided safe infrastructure is available.

And, given Honda's ability to build automobiles with adequate battery capacity, colour screens, hydraulic brakes, and soft seats for such low rates, there's reason to believe that exported electric two-wheelers will soon follow.

At the very least, we can dream.