(April 14, 2010) Honda Motor Co. has unveiled an all-electric scooter that will mark its first attempt at mass-marketing zero-emission motorbikes, with an eye to eventually taking on rivals in the massive Chinese market, according to Reuters news service.

The EV-neo, similar in size to a 50cc scooter, will be aimed at commercial users in Japan, with a range of more than 30 kilometers (about 18.5 miles) on a full charge. Lease sales will begin in December in Japan, the world's top motorcycle maker said.

Toshiyuki Inuma, general manager of Honda's motorcycle operations, said the automaker had no immediate plans for a launch outside Japan but that China was in its sights, with annual demand for electric bikes in that market estimated at 17 million units.

"We'll need to work on the cost and performance further to make it commercially viable," Inuma told reporters at a test-ride event for the prototype model.

Honda did not disclose a price range for the EV-neo, but said the cost to the customer would be roughly equivalent to a similar gasoline scooter after accounting for lower power, maintenance and other running costs.