A Motocompacto cargo edition?
Just when you thought that Honda's silly little vehicle couldn't get any more fun
I have been pretty enamored with Honda's little briefcase scooter known as the Motocompacto. No, I couldn't bring myself to purchase one but I strongly considered it.
For those who haven't seen it, it basically looks like a briefcase mixed with an electric scooter. It's meant to efficiently transport a single passenger short distances. It's perfect for those last mile trips to the bus or train station. It's also just a cool little toy to keep in the trunk of your car if you ever find yourself in a situation that isn't conducive to driving a car.
Now, there are some downsides to this quirky little device. It's a bit underpowered. Despite it's compact size, it's still fairly heavy when compared to other electric scooters. And the other issue that I never really considered until now was that it didn't allow you to carry passengers.
Huh? Well, most electric scooters don't allow for carrying passengers so I can't fault it too much. But according to some new patent images released by Honda, they may be looking to release a souped up version of the Motocompacto that could carry two passengers plus the driver/rider. That's a total of 3 people being propelled by this thing! Yes, sign me up.
This is all speculative so take it with a grain of salt. But this appears to be sort of an answer to those traditional wagons that you'll see in any urban playground. It's a practical vehicle to load up one or two kids and their possessions. Hell, I even covered an electric version of one of these wagons that is in the works.
If you've taken kids to beaches, parks, sporting events, etc. where there was a lot of walking involved, you'll understand why something like this is a great idea. There are seats and handlebars for two kids and then the parent can hang on the back and presumably use it like any other electric scooter.
According to the images, it even appears to have some storage below the seats and the ability to be pulled along with a rope when no one is riding. It also appears that there may be a feature where the vehicle is able to follow you on its own like some sort of robot dog. Not exactly sure how that would work but it's an awesome concept.
This thing looks like so much fun. I'm sure it would still be somewhat underpowered and you probably won't get much range when hauling kids and gear. But this could be the perfect way to scoot across a parking lot or along a sidewalk when the kids don't feel like walking. I'm not sure if it would be the solution to get to school or the supermarket, but it could work. You would have to presume that an able-bodied adult would be able to use this like a kick scooter even if the battery runs out of juice. That's more than can be said for the original Motocompacto.
It's hard to tell exactly what the final design might be. It sorta reminds me of putting wheels and seats on top of one of those large hard-sided coolers. Hard to tell how comfortable it would be for a kid as well. It may work for short distances, but I can't imagine it being viable for more than a short trip. The images do bring to mind a trip a few months ago where my daughter insisted on riding around the airport atop a wheeled suitcase. It was surprisingly more convenient than carrying her or having her walk, and she had a blast. So this seems like a logical next step.
I do also appreciate that the kids and Dad are wearing helmets. That signifies that it should be able to go at least 10 mph maybe? I don't think Dad is wearing a helmet if he's basically just pushing a stroller right?
The description in the patent even calls out that it could be "stowable in mass transit" and "including power assist motors to make it fun for families to travel further together in a city or urban setting." Hmm, so that means it would have to include a battery and motor to go at a decent speed. And could it possibly fold up further when the kids aren't riding it to fit better on public transport?
I've been closely watching the battle over e-bikes and scooters being allowed on buses and trains or not. Can you imagine the uproar with a device like this? "Sir, you cannot bring your motorized cooler on the train!" Something like this would not fit into any existing transportation category and I love that.
As someone who now has two kids (and a dog) I'm looking for funky new ways to transport them. Front-loader e-bikes or wagons seemed like my only viable option, but Honda has made me rethink things. Again, there is no telling if or when this product ever comes to fruition, but if they can pull it off in the next few years, I would have to give it a try.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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