Honda has formally unveiled the brand new WN7, its newest electrical motorbike and the primary in a deliberate lineup of bigger EV two-wheelers. Designed as a commuter-friendly electrical motorbike for the European market, the WN7 is a part of Honda’s push towards carbon neutrality.
The launch shines extra mild on a reveal we’ve lengthy been ready for. However with a price ticket of £12,999 (practically US $18k), the actual query is whether or not this modest commuter bike has a preventing likelihood in an more and more aggressive phase.
Whereas Honda hasn’t launched the total technical specs for the WN7 simply but, the corporate has revealed a number of key options that give us a glimpse of what to anticipate. The bike will likely be powered by a everlasting magnet synchronous motor paired with a series drive, providing a well-known mechanical setup for riders used to older combustion-engine bikes. Up entrance, riders will get a 5-inch shade TFT show, and the bike will debut a newly developed Honda RoadSync app, which permits smartphone connectivity for navigation and communication. For added practicality, the WN7 features a beneficiant 20-liter underseat storage compartment, which ought to be a pleasant bonus for commuters seeking to stash a helmet or each day necessities.
Honda estimates the WN7 will supply a variety of over 130 km (83 miles) on a single cost, making it suited to each day commuting and metropolis driving. It contains a fastened lithium-ion battery and helps each residence and speedy charging. Utilizing a normal family outlet, riders can count on a full cost in underneath three hours, whereas a CCS2 speedy charger can prime the battery up from 20% to 80% in simply half-hour, including flexibility for fast turnarounds throughout a busy day.
The WN7 is being marketed as a sensible, everyday-use electrical motorbike concentrating on primarily youthful riders in city environments. Honda can also be promising quiet operation, straightforward dealing with, and a brand new sound-emitting system to boost pedestrian consciousness, taking cues from present EV laws in each automotive and two-wheeled segments.
Manufacturing is about to start later this 12 months at Honda’s Atessa plant in Italy, and the bike will likely be eligible for presidency EV subsidies in numerous European markets.
Nonetheless, Honda hasn’t but shared key specs like prime velocity, motor energy, or battery capability, all of that are very important to really assessing how this electrical bike stacks up in real-world use. However with the introduced value of £12,999, it’s already clear that the bike received’t be value aggressive in opposition to different commuter electrical bikes out there.
Electrek’s Take
Look, I’m excited to see Honda lastly placing an precise electrical motorbike into manufacturing. This isn’t an idea or a lab experiment – it’s an actual bike you’ll be capable of purchase. However with a value of £12,999 (roughly US $17,700) for what seems to be a commuter-level electrical motorbike, this factor could be lifeless on arrival.
Until Honda is hiding some really game-changing specs underneath the panels, this pricing simply doesn’t make sense. Riders within the commuter class have already got loads of choices starting from electrical scooters to bikes, with many fashions from smaller producers providing comparable (and even higher) vary and velocity for half the value.
Honda could also be banking on model loyalty, reliability, and construct high quality to justify the value, and possibly that can work for some consumers. However until the WN7 delivers dramatically higher specs than what’s at present been proven, most would-be EV riders are prone to look elsewhere.
This could be an enormous milestone for Honda’s electrification roadmap, nevertheless it’s arduous to name it a win for riders at this value level.
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