Hot on the heels of the news of battery-swapping networks built through Gogoro’s partnership with DCJ and Yadea comes a cry from Honda on the usefulness and efficiency of swappable batteries – and with their goal to have four electric bikes on the market by 2024, plans are shaping up to provide power to those bikes before they hit the market.
A report from CycleWorld states that Honda has just pulled a major move and signed a deal with Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki. The deal involves all four companies conforming their future electric motorcycle plans to one swappable battery type. And after the successes of China and India’s battery-swapping stations, it’s no wonder they choose an accessible, renewable, sustainable, zero-emission method that will guarantee a steady demand for batteries. After all, what better way to solve the problem of an expensive battery with a limited range than by making batteries more accessible across the country – ideally via membership?
Honda has also made arrangements with KTM and Piaggio (and Yamaha overseas) in Europe, signing a similar deal on the same battery type. The beauty of these deals is the unification of energy source – in this case, the battery type – and the potential for the consumer to breathe easy knowing that their energy source’s potential extends beyond the ‘low juice’ signal.
“The key to successful electrification of motorcycle products’, Honda President and Representative Director Toshihiro Mibe states, “is to consider the battery, which is still expensive, separately from the motorcycle. In developed countries, where electrification is in strong demand, we will pursue electrification utilizing the Mobile Power Pack.” The Mobile Power Pack is a battery-swapping network from Honda currently in use with compatible machines in Japan.
With new plans to have compatible bikes ranging up to 125cc in power, it appears Honda means business. Stay tuned for updates.
Considering the battery separate from the motorcycle… And using that as support for battery swapping programs. The problem with these is that someone who has a new/lightly used battery will not want to swap for an old/heavily used battery. People with old/heavily used batteries won’t care, or will care enough to want to get a newer battery. This dynamic means more old/heavily used batteries are going to be in the system. Not a great dynamic.
Now, if batteries are really separate from the motorcycle, are they sold separately? Are they given away free? Can they be replaced for free when you get a heavily used one two weeks after buying the motorcycle?
Battery swapping is going to have headwinds in the US.
Indeed
Imagine taking out your 200 mile capacity battery and replacing it with one with 110 Mile capacity.
That would seriously impact journeys.
Hell. That would be absolutely unacceptable to me and a non starter
Not to mention, I guess recharge stations will be few and far between for swaths of the uk
It would be reasonable to expect, I think, that swapped batteries will be monitored for efficiency and lifespan. Battery X goes below acceptable limits for either, and it’s removed from service, either to be refurbished, recycled, or disposed of.
This report is light on details surrounding that aspect of the whole arrangement.
EV bikes are expensive and then you’ll need to also buy an expensive charger and extra battery. Sounds so exciting! (sarcasm)
The battery sharing is a terrible idea. I don’t even buy into the propane tank sharing for my gas grill. I don’t want a tank that is used and abused and mistreated or potentially modified by some moron. I definitely don’t want to get an abused battery that will give me terrible range and power, or worse, start on fire.
For decades upon decades we have been told electric is coming. Now it’s being forced upon us by governments everywhere and the issues still haven’t been worked out. But just wait until next year. It’ll be better. They promise! (insert eye roll).
Electric Vehicles are the “gateway drug” for Autonomous Vehicles. And the proliferation of AV’s will be at the expense of private vehicles, of which motorcycles will be eliminated first. “Too dangerous”…
Notice motorcycles are not mentioned in the WEF’s Great Reset… quite the opposite, private vehicles in general are not on that agenda, except for perhaps the ultra-wealthy. Everyone else will “rent everything, even your clothes”.
Orwell was an optomist, the WEF/Gates reality planned for the masses will make 1984 look like a utopian dream.
I think you’re confusing a powertrain with legislation, mate.