Honda showcased the world’s first electrically force-induced V3 engine at EICMA 2024 alongside a new series of electric scooters
Honda, the sleeping giant, seem to have woken up from their slumber, as they have done what they do best at EICMA 2024—unveil a mind-boggling new engine configuration that pushes the envelope of what is possible in terms of internal-combustion technology for motorcycles. That’s not all, though, as they understand the importance of electric mobility in the urban sector and have unveiled two electric scooters as well.
Honda electrically force-induced V3 engine
Honda, the purveyor of pushing the envelope when it comes to engine technology, unveiled a parallel-twin with a 270° firing interval in 2022—an engine configuration that everybody and their uncle are using these days. In Honda’s storied past, there is a lot more excitement though, something which seems to have disappeared. Honda have brought the world the a transverse V4, a longitudinal V4, a flat-four, a flat-six and even a transverse straight-six, the only engine ever with oval pistons, apart from mass-producing first-ever turbocharged motorcycle and the only true V5 engine in the world. It seems like they have got their mojo back though, as they have unveiled a water-cooled, 75° V3 engine equipped with an electrically-powered centrifugal supercharger. Due to the fact that the engine has an actual compressor and not a positive displacement pump, quite a few people mistook it for a turbocharger, but as it is not driven by exhaust gases, it is in fact a supercharger, albeit one driven by electricity and not a pulley from the engine. No further details have been released about this engine, but this restores our faith in the internal combustion-powered future of motorcycling.
Honda CUV e: and ICON e:
Honda have also showcased two electric scooters called CUV e: and ICON e: and their weird names aside, they look to be fairly competent, with the former sporting two Honda Mobile Power Pack e: swappable batteries and the latter comes with a fixed battery. The CUV e: comes with three ride modes—Standard, Sport, and Econ and has Bluetooth connectivity for the dashboard which enables call and navigation features via a smartphone. The ICON e: is derived from last year’s EM1 e: and can go 50 km on a single charge. It looks like Honda has some ways to go before they can catch up to our homegrown electric scooters which offer better features and range, but once the electric Activa breaks cover, that could all change.
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