Honda, Yamaha, KTM and many more come together for Swappable batteries consortium

Author : Ashwin G Shetty

A swappable batteries consortium would be setup with Japanese auto majors Honda and Yamaha along with European firms Piaggio & C SpA and KTM AG for motorcycles and light electric vehicles (EVs).The main aim of the consortium would be to define standardized technical specifications of swappable battery systems for vehicles belonging to the L-category -- mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles.

This move has come in advent of Paris Climate Agreement and the transition to electromobility, availability of a standardized swappable battery system to promote the widespread use of light electric vehicles and contribute to a more sustainable life-cycle management of batteries used in the transport sector.

With this the manufacturers are trying to answer customers' main concerns pertaining to range, Shortened charging time and lower vehicle and infrastructure cost of electric vehicles.

An international standard for the swappable batteries system like this is bound to make this technology more efficient and at the disposal of the consumers. Finally, a strengthened cooperation among manufacturers and institutions would allow the industry to better respond to the main challenges of the future of mobility.

The consortium is scheduled start its activities in May 2021, for which the founding members have asked all interested stakeholders to join the cooperation to enrich the consortium's expertise.

Reference

https://www.livemint.com/auto-news/honda-yamaha-others-set-up-swappable-batteries-cosortium-for-motorcycles-evs-11614671114376.html