MUMBAI, 14 September 2022: In India, Honda has filed a patent for a hub motor design, which may be applied to a future electric scooter that will be sold in our country. To be more precise, the design covered by the patent works to make the hub motor smaller overall (also called an in-wheel motor), according to Autocar report.
It’s interesting to note that the patent drawings depict the hub motor installed on a prototype e-scooter that includes many Activa 6G-like parts but also has a significant number of unique components. The front wheel and handlebar shroud look to be from the current Activa, but much of the bodywork, as well as the rear suspension, is new. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because the electric scooter will likely have a chassis that is entirely different from a standard Honda Activa.
These sketches provide us an indication of the possible appearance of Honda’s forthcoming e-scooters because the front apron, side panels, and tail portion are all exclusive to the scooter.
In contrast to the Activa, which has a single-sided rear swingarm formed by the CVT casing, this drawing depicts a scooter with a double-sided swingarm that is most likely supported by two shock absorbers. The hub motor configuration would indicate that a rear drum brake is built into the rear wheel, which seems to be a 10-inch unit. Like the Activa 6G, the front wheel appears to be 12 inches and has a drum brake as well, report added.
This patent’s supporting documentation also includes a block diagram depicting a motor control system, and this figure discloses some intriguing information. According to this, the scooter has a high-voltage battery (voltage not specified) that, through an inverter, powers the in-wheel motor. To power the motor controller and other electrical systems on the scooter, it also features a typical 12V battery (as you would find on a petrol scooter).
Honda has also applied for a number of additional design patents in India, many of which are related to portable batteries and their chargers. The business has experience in this area thanks to the PCX Electric scooter it sells abroad and has patented in India. This scooter employs detachable battery packs. All of this suggests that the future Honda e-scooters for India may have replaceable batteries.
An inexpensive and (relatively) low-output option for an electric two-wheeler is a hub motor. This suggests that Honda is working on a pretty utilitarian offering, focusing on function more than performance, along with the basic framework of the scooter in the sketches. As a result, it would be possible to outfit the scooter with a battery pack that is relatively smaller (and hence lighter) and should be manageable to transport over short distances.