Automotive Engineering - December 2023 - 10

TECHNOLOGY REPORT
MICROMOBILITY
Honda Motocompacto folding
scooter is an accessory with pep
As strange as the new Honda Motocompacto looks, it's not the
automaker's first folding scooter. The Motocompacto is an updated,
all-electric version of the Motocompo scooter that Honda
sold in Japan in the early 1980s. Like that earlier two-wheeler,
the Motocompacto will be sold as an automotive accessory, this
time as a first-mile/last-mile conveyance for the 21st century.
" Accessory " is an accurate word for the Motocompacto.
Schaeffler says its wave method of winding wire significantly reduces the
number of welds in most applications.
manufacture motors with Directly Injected Slot Cooling
(DISCO) with oil. " This puts the cooling directly in the winding
slots, " Getz said. " So, right up against the heat source,
allowing the continuous performance to match the peak performance. "
He cited a familiar scenario in which vehicles see
degraded performance after several sprints or lose some
power when trying to pass on the highway. DISCO technology
also can result in better harvesting of heat, transferring it
more quickly to the battery when it's beneficial.
Jeremy Vanni, an engineering manager with Schaeffler, addressed
a question about motors leaking coolant through the
laminations. " It's completely sealed all the way along the lamination
stack " with a very thin thermoplastic, he said.
Getz also said the company's deep background in manufacturing
gives it more data to leverage for the simulations it
can run to help customers choose e-motor components.
He said the company also is working with electrically excited
synchronous motors, which are made without rare earth
magnets and have traditionally worked better for applications
involving continuous runs at a consistent rpm. " It's not to say
ESM motors have not previously existed, " he said. " But ours
significantly improves on the efficiency when compared to
induction motor technology, while remaining cost competitive
to permanent magnet technology. He also said the onerotor
design uses a high copper fill to maximize power density,
using recyclable copper. " We've tested this specific design
at speeds over 18,500 rpm. "
Chris Clonts
10 December 2023
Honda's Nick Ziraldo demonstrates how to fold and unfold the Motocompacto.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
When folded, the EV is just 3.7 inches (94 mm) wide, 21.1
inches (536 mm) tall and 29.2 in. (742 mm) long. At 41.3 lb.
(18.7 kg), the scooter can be carried short distances without
too much effort, good for walk-up apartments or lecture halls
deep in an academic building. That's the type of person
Honda says will be most interested in a Motocompacto, along
with SUV drivers or RV owners who want to keep a
Motocompacto or two in the back for short rides.
The Motocompacto has a top speed of 15 mph (24 km/h), a
maximum range of 12 miles (19 km) and can accelerate from
0-15 mph in 7 seconds, but all of these figures are affected by
the weight of the rider. The scooter can hold riders up to 265
lb. (120 kg). A full charge of the 6.8-Ah battery takes 3.5
hours from a standard 110-volt/15-amp outlet. The direct
drive, 490-watt permanent-magnet motor provides up to 11.8
lb-ft (16 Nm) to the front wheel.
SAE Media was able to take a few test spins of the tiny EV in
a parking lot in the Detroit area in October, along with unfolding
and refolding the scooter. In both riding and the compacting
process, the Motocompacto feels solid. It provides the kind
of ride one might expect from a flat plastic rectangle with
wheels. It's all incredibly functional, if not exactly comfortable.
FROM LEFT: SCHAEFFLER; SAE/SEBASTIAN BLANCO
Automotive Engineering - December 2023

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