Enlarge / The Trek FX+ 2 e-bike (credit: Eric Bangeman)

When it came time to buy our son his "adult" bike, the Trek FX 2 was an easy choice. Not only is the candy-red color eyepopping, but the hybrid offers hydraulic disc brakes and an aggressive riding position for $749. So when Trek offered us the chance to review the FX+ 2, we jumped at the chance to take it for a ride or three.

It's not often that we get to review an electrified version of a bike we are familiar with, so we'll start with the differences between the FX+ 2 and the FX 2. Let's get the biggest one out of the way: the price. The Trek FX+ 2 retails for $2,499, over three times the price of its unelectrified sibling (also significantly higher than some hybrid e-bikes, many of which are made by new companies most of us have never heard of). Some of the price difference comes from the motor and battery— the motor itself sells for $450 —but you're also getting an integrated bike computer with cadence and speed sensors along with a power meter. All you need to access the integrated gear is the Trek Connect app.

Component-wise, the FX+ 2 is very similar to the FX 2. They use the same Shimano shifter and cassette, the same aluminum wheels, and the same Alpha Gold aluminum frame. The differences between the two mostly come down to modifications needed for the electric bits and the tires. The FX+ 2 comes with 700x40 mm tires instead of 35s and has a max tire size of 50 mm, whereas the FX 2 is capped at 38 mm. Lastly, the FX+ 2 has a rear rack, fenders, and integrated headlight and taillight.

Enlarge / The Motocompacto was the product of one engineer's spare time. (credit: Kevin Williams)

The transition to electrified transportation can come across as boring, which, arguably, isn't all that untrue. Shouty, gas-powered sports cars have been replaced on roads by beige-colored electric crossovers. Electric scooters are ubiquitous now, cavalierly and awkwardly piled up on street corners of any global metropolitan center, serving as last-mile solutions for those unwilling to wait in traffic in the backseat of a rideshare car. It's hard to remember that electric vehicles can be fun, exciting, interesting, and maybe most importantly—cute. The Honda Motocompacto might just be the cutest little last-mile solution and maybe the most exciting electric vehicle on the market, even if Honda itself isn't quite sure what to do with it.

The Motocompacto certainly looks like no other electric scooter on the market. Appearing like a secret agent's gadget from the Spy Kids universe, the all-white box can transform from what easily could be confused as a briefcase to an oddly rectangular sit-down scooter. Unique, if not unfamiliar, the Motocompacto's form factor could seem a little contrarian in the era of traditional stand-up scooters or sit-down moped ones. I mean, who wants to straddle a motorized briefcase?

Well, it's because the Motocompacto is a modern reinterpretation of an iconic Honda scooter—the Motocompo. Back in the early 1980s, Honda sold a square-shaped (gas-powered) scooter, meant to fold up and fit in the trunk of its City subcompact hatchback. Even though neither the Motocompo nor the Honda City ever made their way outside of Japan, the outrageously cute form factor serves as inspiration for the similarly named Motocompacto. Heck, Honda has even shown it off in the cargo area of the Prologue EV crossover, surely a nod to this charmingly Ska-filled ad.

Enlarge / The Sansei SR-02 was among the exhibits at this year's Japan Mobility Show that gave it a feel of the future. (credit: Evan Williams)

Toyota provided flights from Halifax, Canada, to Tokyo, Japan, and five nights in a hotel so we could attend the Japan Mobility Show, plus subsequent briefings and test drives. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

The latest trend in auto shows around the world is to convince us that they aren't auto shows. The car show is out and the mobility show is in, and that means different things for different markets. The Frankfurt International Auto Show, for example, is now IAA Mobility; it has moved to Munich and features loads of bicycles. The Japan Motor Show is now the Japan Mobility Show, but instead of bicycles, it's packed with surreal and sci-fi-ready ways to get you around, some of which are available now.

Here's a look at the most interesting products from this year's show.

Honda eVTOL

Honda has always been about more than cars, and that was on display at the Japan Mobility Show, starting with its eVTOL concept.

Enlarge / Sony's automotive ambitions crystallized at CES 2023 with the debut of Afeela, a new mobility brand being developed together with Honda. (credit: Sony)

One of the more intriguing stories to have emerged from the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas over the past few years has been Sony's electric vehicle. The Japanese tech giant stunned people in 2020 when it debuted the Vision-S, a handsome EV designed to showcase Sony's sensors and camera tech on the outside and its entertainment portfolio on the inside.

The following year brought more developed prototypes of the Vision-S into view; then, in 2022, it took an SUV version to CES as well. At that time Sony told the media it was exploring commercial possibilities for a Sony EV, and last March it announced a strategic alliance with Honda, with the latter providing vehicle body engineering and after-sales support, and Sony providing the electronics, sensors, networking, telecom, and infotainment.

For CES 2023, Sony's automotive ambitions have become a lot clearer. Sony Honda Mobility, the joint venture, is launching a brand called Afeela, which it says is because "feel" is "at the center of the mobility experience," as people feel "mobility as an intelligent entity" and mobility feels "people and society using sensing and network IT technologies."