Latest news with #FastporteQuad
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Honda dips its toes in cargo delivery micromobility
Walk around a big city like New York or Amsterdam long enough and you're bound to notice something: tiny four-wheeled cargo carriers zipping down bike lanes. These battery-assisted vehicles, often called e-quads, are distinct from cargo e-bikes, which tend to be geared toward households. E-quads are larger and sport enclosed cargo holds, making them a darling of delivery companies, including Amazon and UPS, allowing them to sidestep congestion that bogs down regular box trucks. Now, Honda is offering its own take on vehicle type, the Fastport eQuad. The eQuad comes in two sizes built on at the same basic platform, small and large. Both are smaller than the smallest Mini Cooper, but can carry between 320 to 650 pounds. They have pedals, and their top speed is limited to 12 mph (20 kph), both requirements to keep them bike lane legal. To keep the eQuad trucking, Honda is using its Mobile Power Pack batteries. The 22-pound batteries can be swapped for a fresh pack much like Gogoro or Zeno. By grabbing the build-in handle, drivers (or riders?) can drop them into a caddy located just behind and below cockpit. Inside the cockpit, drivers have the usual bike seat, pedals, and windscreen. A display helps the driver stay on route. Based on the number of mentions in the press release, Honda really wants this to be considered a software-defined vehicle, which it says will over 'continues value and improvements over the vehicles lifetime,' though it doesn't specify what those are. U.S.-bound eQuads will be built at the Honda Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio. For the craftspeople who work there, the trundling eQuad will be a very different assignment. Previously, they were best known for hand assembling the second-generation Acura NSX, a 500-plus horsepower supercar capable of 191 mph. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Newsweek
a day ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Honda Spins Into Micromoblity Business with Electric Quadricycle
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. It's been 128 years since Henry Ford created the first quadricycle. Now, Honda plans to use the form of transportation in a thoroughly modern way as a last-mile, micromobility solution. Honda's new Fastport operations is a business-to-business (B2B) business dedicated to creating micromobility solutions for the last-mile delivery industry. In America, much of that type of delivery is done by car, SUV or truck outside of urban areas. In Europe, delivery via bicycle is far more common. The company will debut its first solution, a zero-emission, electrified quadricycle at the Eurobike exhibition in late June. The Fastport eQuad is designed for use in bike lanes. "The Fastport team has worked tirelessly to create the Fastport eQuad, a zero-emission alternative to delivery vans that solves the challenge of last mile urban logistics by meeting the needs of urban residents expecting on-demand deliveries of packages, groceries and other items," said Jose Wyszogrod, general manager and founding member of Fastport, said in a press release. Fastport eQuad Prototype testing in New York City. Fastport eQuad Prototype testing in New York City. Honda The eQuad is powered by Honda Mobile Power Pack swappable batteries and has software-defined vehicle features, the company said. It utilizes a pedal-by-wire powertrain to have electrically enhanced movement through the streets. Its regenerative braking system captures and reuses energy in a manner similar to how an electrified car, truck or SUV does. It also has automatic parking brakes. Honda's eQuad was designed to prioritize rider comfort. It features a canopy with a UV coating. Buyers can opt for a ceramic tint, ventilation fan or full-frontal enclosure. Its chassis was engineered by Honda to allow the model to ride smoothly over rough surfaces. Fastport's large and small vehicle and cargo box container sizes are tailored to meet regional customer needs. Its modular design is primed for customization depending on the need. The large version can handle a payload of up to 650 pounds, while the small version can handle up to 320 pounds. Both versions have a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour. Range is payload dependent. The large model will be able to go up to 23 miles at a time. The range of Fastport's small model has not yet been released. The company plans to couple the eQuad with a Fleet-as-a-Service model that allows customers to tap into the vehicle's software-defined vehicle attributes to feed information into artificial intelligence-managed fleet software dashboards. These dashboards give real-time insights to fleet managers via cloud technology. Discussions with major logistics and delivery companies in North America and Europe are underway with the aim of starting a pilot test program ahead of production launch. Fastport plans to sell its last-mile solutions in North American and Europe, beginning with first-edition vehicles in late 2025. Mass production is expected to begin in the summer of 2026. U.S.-bound units will be assembled at the Honda Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio.
TechCrunch
a day ago
- Automotive
- TechCrunch
Honda dips its toes in cargo delivery micromobility
Walk around a big city like New York or Amsterdam long enough and you're bound to notice something: tiny four-wheeled cargo carriers zipping down bike lanes. These battery-assisted vehicles, often called e-quads, are distinct from cargo e-bikes, which tend to be geared toward households. E-quads are larger and sport enclosed cargo holds, making them a darling of delivery companies, including Amazon and UPS, allowing them to sidestep congestion that bogs down regular box trucks. Now, Honda is offering its own take on vehicle type, the Fastport eQuad. The eQuad comes in two sizes built on at the same basic platform, small and large. Both are smaller than the smallest Mini Cooper, but can carry between 320 to 650 pounds. They have pedals, and their top speed is limited to 12 mph (20 kph), both requirements to keep them bike lane legal. To keep the eQuad trucking, Honda is using its Mobile Power Pack batteries. The 22-pound batteries can be swapped for a fresh pack much like Gogoro or Zeno. By grabbing the build-in handle, drivers (or riders?) can drop them into a caddy located just behind and below cockpit. Inside the cockpit, drivers have the usual bike seat, pedals, and windscreen. A display helps the driver stay on route. Based on the number of mentions in the press release, Honda really wants this to be considered a software-defined vehicle, which it says will over 'continues value and improvements over the vehicles lifetime,' though it doesn't specify what those are. U.S.-bound eQuads will be built at the Honda Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio. For the craftspeople who work there, the trundling eQuad will be a very different assignment. Previously, they were best known for hand assembling the second-generation Acura NSX, a 500-plus horsepower supercar capable of 191 mph.
