HONDA has unveiled a new B2B business around an all-electric quadricycle delivery vehicle designed for use in bike lanes for the last-mile delivery industry.

The Fastport business model, which makes its global debut at this week’s Eurobike expo in Germany, is aimed at companies wanting a fast, efficient and reliable urban delivery system. The Fastport bike also aims to reduce urban congestion while meeting rising consumer demand for faster, more frequent deliveries. 

The  zero-emission Fastport eQuad, to be made at Honda’s manufacturing facility in Ohio – which also made the NSX sports car and CR-V fuel-cell vehicle – is Honda’s first in a planned range of micro-mobility vehicles.

Honda said that last-mile delivery has become one of the most complex and costly segments of the logistics chain.

The Fastport will enter the European and North American micromobility market with first edition vehicle deliveries expected to begin in late 2025 and general mass production in the middle of 2026.

The eQuad claims cutting-edge technology with a modern design, offering an efficient and safer mode of transportation for delivery drivers. It has a unique pedal-by-wire pedal-assist powertrain, and easily swappable, rechargeable batteries. Energy-saving technologies include a regenerative braking system that captures and reuses energy to boost efficiency, as well as automatic parking brakes for enhanced safety. 

It has a canopy with UV coating and a ceramic tint option, along with a ventilation fan and full-frontal enclosure.

Fastport will offer large and small vehicle and cargo box container sizes, tailored to meet regional customer needs in European and North American markets. It is designed for payloads of up to 295kg using cargo boxes of up to 2.4m in length.

The modular design of the eQuad allows for customisation in vehicle length to cater to a wide range of uses including parcel, grocery, and small package deliveries.Honda said the eQuad is designed for use in bike lanes, allowing users to reduce traffic congestion and navigate urban areas more efficiently. 

Coupled with Fastport’s Fleet-as-a-Service (FaaS) model, Honda claims businesses can optimise delivery operations while achieving cost-efficiencies compared to operating a conventional delivery fleet.

Fastport’s FaaS platform offers users a comprehensive solution with software-defined platform features, including swappable batteries, cargo containers, service and maintenance plans, along with AI-powered dashboards with real-time insights that enhance driver and fleet-management operations.

“With premium connectivity and seamless over-the-air software updates, Fastport products will ensure secure and high-performance access to cloud-based services, unlocking continuous value and improvements over the vehicle’s lifetime,” Honda said.It is already engaging with major logistics and delivery companies in Europe and North America for pilot test programs ahead of the production launch next year.