Honda's Teeny-Tiny Electric Ruckus We Can't Have
Image Credit: Honda.
You know, in my few years of writing about anything with an electric motor, I've seen some strange things. I once flew a plane that felt like a lawnmower with ambition, and I've captained a boat that handled like a shopping cart in a hurricane. But my heart has always had a soft spot for the oddballs, the little guys, the vehicles that make you smile. And near the top of that list is the Honda Ruckus.
This skeletal, minimalist scooter has been the darling of city dwellers and garage tinkerers for a very long time. It's less of a vehicle and more of a suggestion, an exposed frame just begging for you to make it your own. It's the automotive equivalent of a rescue puppy - scrappy, a little weird, but endlessly lovable. So, you can imagine the collective, joyous squeal when Honda announced they'd made an electric one, the Zoomer e:. An eco-friendly Ruckus! The dream!
Image Credit: Honda.
That was back in 2023. We all waited, credit cards trembling in our hands, ready to zip silently through our neighborhoods on this little slice of electric heaven. And we're still waiting. It seems this particular party invitation got lost in the mail, because the electric Ruckus is nowhere to be found in the good ol' US of A. So, where is it, and why is Honda keeping this little bundle of joy from us?
The story starts, as many do these days, in China. Honda launched the Zoomer e: there, alongside a couple of other adorable electric retro-bikes. It kept the iconic, stripped-down look we all love but swapped the little gas engine for a quiet 400-watt hub motor. It's powered by a removable 1.15 kWh battery, which you can pop out and carry inside to charge, just like a little briefcase full of lightning.
Image Credit: Honda.
Here comes the funny part - to comply with local e-bike laws in China, the original Zoomer e: had a top speed that would lose a drag race to a tortoise. A blistering 15.5 miles per hour. My grandmother walks faster than that after her morning coffee. To complete the "is it a bicycle?" disguise, Honda even equipped it with a set of delightfully stubby and entirely useless pedals. I imagine trying to pedal this thing would be less about propulsion and more about performing an awkward, seated jig.
Honda claims the tiny battery can get you a respectable 50 to 56 miles on a single charge, which is more than enough for city shenanigans. And to be fair, they did dial up the performance a bit for other markets. When it landed in the Philippines, the top speed was generously bumped to 25 mph. It's clear the scooter's performance is just a software tweak away from being a little less glacial.
Image Credit: Honda.
But why not here? Why can't we have one? The sad, simple truth is that in its current form, the Zoomer e: would be laughed out of the American market. Our Class 3 e-bikes can legally hit nearly 28 mph, and a whole universe of cheap, imported electric bicycles offer the same, if not better, performance. The poor little Zoomer e: is heavier and slower - itwould be like showing up to a Super Bowl party with a single, lukewarm light beer.
America has never fully embraced scooter culture. We like our vehicles big, our engines loud, and anything shaped like a motorcycle that can't break 30 mph tends to get overlooked. It's a shame, really. But some people don't take no for an answer. A small, determined group of superfans has been privately importing Zoomer e: models, piece by painstaking piece, and assembling them here. I've seen the forum posts! It's like a secret society for adorable, low-speed transport. That, my friends, is dedication. That is a market screaming for a product.
Image Credit: Honda.
And it wouldn't even be that hard for Honda to bring it here properly. This is Honda we're talking about; they make everything from generators to jets. I'm pretty sure they can figure out how to make a tiny scooter go a bit faster. They could beef up the motor and controller, aim for a top speed in the much more useful 35-45 mph range, and sell it as a proper low-speed motorcycle.
With our cities getting more crowded and our patience for traffic jams wearing thinner than my tires after a track day, the timing seems perfect. We're embracing micromobility. We're looking for fun, efficient ways to get around. An official, American-spec electric Ruckus could be a massive hit.
So, come on, Honda. Stop holding out on us. We're ready for the Ruckus. We're ready for the silent, stylish, and slightly quirky revolution. Just… maybe leave the pretend pedals in China. We'll be fine without them.
