An electric scooter that folds into its own carrying case

Unfold the seat and handlebars from a flat white case and it becomes a scooter. Honda's Motocompacto, announced in 2023, pays as much attention to being stored as to being ridden. Folded, its wheels and long handlebars are gathered around the body instead of extending outward. Its shape reflects the question of where it will go between rides.

The idea recalls Honda's folding Motocompo motorcycle from the 1980s. Motocompacto revisits that concept with electric power. Developed by teams in Ohio and California and unveiled in the United States in September 2023, it is intended for short trips between a car or other transport and a final destination rather than sustained long-distance travel.

With the seat and handlebars stowed, the body becomes its own carrying case. Honda's announcement gives a folded width of about 9.4 centimeters. Bringing the projecting parts inward produces a flat profile that can fit into a narrower space. There is no separate bag around the whole scooter: the vehicle's body is also its storage enclosure.

Looking like a bag does not make it light. The manufacturer's stated weight is about 18.7 kilograms. How comfortably it can be carried over a long distance depends on the person and the route. Folding primarily reduces width and protrusions; it does not remove the effort of lifting the scooter up stairs.

Storage planning extends to charging. The charger can be kept inside the body, and the scooter can charge either folded or unfolded. Charging times and range figures in the US announcement are manufacturer figures under specified conditions, not guarantees of results in everyday use. Here, the interest lies in where the parts go after a ride as much as in how far the scooter travels.

The broad white body also offers a surface for personalization. Honda suggests stickers and decals. A panel below the rider's legs becomes the face of the folded object. Motocompacto's transformation continues after the journey, as the seat, handlebars, and projecting parts are gathered back into a flat outline.