Honda dips its toes in cargo delivery micromobility

Take a walk in a big city like New York or Amsterdam long enough and you will inevitably notice something: tiny four-wheeled freight carriers that take place in cycle paths.

These battery assisted vehicles, often called e-quads, are distinct from Cargo bikeswhich tend to be intended for households. The electronic quadrages are larger and closed sporting freight holds, making it a darling of delivery companies, including Amazon and UPS, allowing them to bypass the congestion that decreases ordinary cash trucks.

Now Honda offers its own vision of the type of vehicle, the fastport Equad.

The Equad is available in two sizes built on the same basic, small and large platform. Both are smaller than the smallest mini Cooper, but can transport between 320 and 650 pounds. They have pedals and their top speed is limited to 12 MPH (20 km / h), the two requirements to keep them legal.

To keep the Equad trucking, Honda uses its mobile power batteries. 22 pound batteries can be exchanged for a fresh pack a bit like Round Or Zeno. By entering the replenishment handle, the drivers (or the runners?) Can place them in a shopping cart located just behind and below the cockpit.

Inside the cockpit, drivers have the usual bicycle, pedals and windshield. A screen helps the driver stay on the route. Based on the number of mentions in the press release, Honda really wants this to be considered a vehicle defined by the software, which says that “will continue the value and improvements in relation to the life of vehicles”, although this does not specify what they are.

Equads, linked to the United States, will be built at the Honda Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio. For the craftsmen who work there, the Troudling Equad will be a very different mission. Previously, they were best known to assemble the hands Second generation acura nsxA supercar of more than 500 horsepower capable of 191 mph.