Four companies want to make the batteries of electric scooters interchangeable
A consortium is born between Piaggio, Ktm, Honda and Yamaha to build a system of batteries that can be exchanged between scooters and mopeds to make charging faster
Vespa electric (photo: Piaggio) Develop common techniques and define international standards to spread the adoption of interchangeable battery systems used by light electric vehicles, in order to facilitate the transition to electrified urban mobility and encourage more sustainable management of the battery life cycle, in line with international climate policies . This is the goal of the Swappable batteries motorcycle consortium (Consortium for interchangeable motorcycle batteries - Sbmc), born from an agreement between four main market players in this sector: Piaggio, Honda, Ktm and Yamaha.Autonomy, charging times, infrastructure and costs are the main problems that complicate the future of electric mobility and that the consortium aims to solve, with the aim of promoting the widespread diffusion of light electric vehicles such as mopeds , scooters, motorcycles, tricycles and motor quadricycles. According to the four manufacturers, the development of low-voltage electric mobility depends fundamentally on the availability of interchangeable battery systems (“swappable batteries” system). These can be designed on the basis of common specifications, which the consortium will also have to develop at a technical level, then promoting them as a standard to European and international organizations.
The availability of charging stations varies between different countries, and the information available to end users is still very limited. By launching the consortium and getting to work to verify the possibility of sharing the Piaggio, Honda, Ktm, and Yamaha battery systems, they intend to incentivize those responsible for the development and distribution of infrastructures and promote the conditions for greater adoption of electric mopeds and scooters. In Italy there are 23,275 recharging points, 11,834 dedicated infrastructures, according to the data of the Motus-E association updated in June.
"Interchangeable batteries provide an optimal response for accelerating the charging times of vehicles, offering users an extremely attractive alternative. Urban mobility is an integral part of Piaggio's history and DNA, and we intend to put all our technological know-how and our spirit of innovation at the service of the consortium ”, comments Michele Colaninno, head of strategy and product of the group. In Italy, the first half of 2021 confirmed the growth of electric two-wheelers: after + 84.5% in sales figures for mopeds, scooters and zero-impact motorcycles in 2020, the market recorded an increase from January to June by 54.1% (+ 146.7% compared to 2019), according to the latest data released by the National Association of Cycle Motorcycle Accessories.
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Topics
Environment electric mobility Transport globalData.fldTopic = "Environment, electric mobility, Transport"
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