You may not be aware of the Honda Gyro, but the firm has been producing versions of the tilting, covered three-wheeler for 40 years now, largely for the Japanese market. The latest entry is the Honda Gyro Canopy:e.

Coming in about halfway between an auto-rickshaw and a moped, the Gyro Canopy:e is aimed at delivery riders – or perhaps more accurately at firms running delivery fleets.

It’s the latest in a string of recent electric mopeds from Honda, following the launches of the U-GO and U-BE, initially just in China.

The Gyro Canopy:e is intended for skipping around a city delivering smaller packages with just a little bit of rain protection on offer for the rider from that narrow windscreen/roof.

As with the Cube/BMW e-cargo trike we reported on recently, the front tilts while the rear remains level so that any cargo doesn’t slide out.

Despite that extra wheel, it’s pretty narrow – just 700mm wide. This means it weighs just 168kg with the batteries in. That might seem a lot compared to an e-cargo bike, but it’s similar to a light electric motorbike.

And this is indeed a bit more powerful than an e-cargo bike. According to Gizmo China, Honda claims the motor offers a peak power output of 3,200W with a continuous power output of 580W.

The stated range is 77km at 30km/h and the batteries can be swapped in and out so that it can be run as part of a fleet.

The Honda Gyro Canopy:e is priced at 715,000 yen (roughly £4,700).

> 5 of the best electric mopeds