Test Driving Honda’s Motocompacto: The Perfect Electric Vehicle?

I recently bought my first electric vehicle — a Honda Motocompacto. Unlike the company’s just-launched Prologue electric SUV, the $995 Honda Motocompacto costs about $48,000 less and can be carried in the Prologue’s cargo area — with plenty of room leftover.

Of course the Motocompacto is limited to a 15 mph top speed, and only has a 12-mile range, but it also doesn’t require annual registration or insurance costs, and it can accompany you on a train, bus, or even an Uber/taxi ride. Honda says it’s a great solution for “last mile” travel in a dense urban area, where no other form of transportation can easily maneuver — or park.

I bought my Honda Motocompacto without any first-hand experience simply because the thought of a briefcase-sized electric scooter that I can take with me was too compelling to pass up. I imagined using it at car shows or track facilities where rows of cars and vendors stretch out for hundreds for yards. So far I haven’t used it for any such events…but I’m still thrilled I bought it after using it in ways I never imagined.

Let’s cover a few more of the Motocompacto’s vital statistics before I get into how I’m using it. First, it’s motivated by a 490-watt permanent magnet motor on the front wheel, which is powered by a 6.8 Ah lithium ion battery. It comes with a power cord and brick that plugs into any 110-volt outlet. A completely drained Motocompacto battery charges in about 3 hours.

Finally, it weighs 41 pounds and can be transformed from “briefcase” to scooter (or scooter to briefcase) in less than 60 seconds. There’s a learning curve and specific order to the process, and first-time users will likely hit one or more snags. But once you get the steps down (they are shown in the video above) it’s quick and easy. The design allows the handlebars, seat, and charging cable/brick to be stored in the Motocompacto’s body when in briefcase mode, and the same space can easily hold a laptop when in scooter form.

Honda envisions people using the Motocompacto to get them between a subway or train station and their work or home, but I found other uses perfectly suited to suburban Orange County. The first time I used it was when I had a Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric vehicle run down to 2 percent of its battery charge and 6 miles of range. The closest EV charging station was 4 miles aways, which meant if I went there and had a charging issue (I know…there are never “issues” at charging stations…) I would not have another option — the car would be stranded and I’d be walking.

Just before heading to the charging station I remembered the Motocompacto (I’d only had it a couple weeks) and realized that, even if the Ioniq 6 got stranded, I could still have a way to get back to my house relatively quickly. I put the Motocompacto in the trunk, drove to the charging station…and everything worked fine. However, I then realized that while waiting for a nearly empty EV battery to charge I could ride the Motocompacto around and explore the area, which is what I did during the 47-minute charge process. BTW, 47 minutes is impressively quick for a nearly-empty EV battery with close to 300 miles of range. Kudos Hyundai!

The next time the Motocompacto came in handy was when I visited a local tire store (about 6 miles away) to address a tire pressure monitoring system issue on my Dodge Demon 170. I had put a different set of wheels on the Demon and the new wheels’ sensors weren’t talking to the car. What I hoped would be a 15-30 minute fix turned out to be hours…but I took the Motocompacto with me for just this contingency. Instead of waiting for hours at the tire store, or having to find a ride home, I pulled the Motocompacto from the trunk, transformed it from briefcase to scooter, and rode home. Then I rode it back when the car was ready.

Finally, on a trip to Coronado Island in San Diego (which I also drove the Demon to) I put the Motocompacto in the Dodge’s trunk. I had no clear idea what I’d use it for, but it’s just so easy to bring along. So I did. When I got there, I discovered the bikeway that runs along the shoreline for much of Coronado Island. I probably don’t have to tell you how I used Honda’s little scooter in that situation, but I can confirm it was the perfect mount to enjoy a quiet ride along the ocean.

So while I’m not a college student scooting around campus, or a young urban professional dodging Manhattan traffic between subway station and office building, I have found plenty of uses, both practical and fun, for Honda’s Motocompacto electric scooter. It’s the first “EV” I’ve purchased. And maybe it will lead me to a four-wheeled model at some point in the future. At least now I know I’ll have something to do while waiting for the battery to charge.