Honda's ongoing efforts with swappable e-motorbike batteries

author: FutureCar Staff    

The field of swappable batteries for electric motorbikes is experiencing significant growth, and Honda is making efforts to catch up with its own design. In an attempt to gain a larger international market share, Honda is introducing the Honda Mobile Power Pack e: (MPPe:) in Indonesia.

The Honda MPPe: is a Gogoro-style swappable motorbike battery that includes the Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: (HPPEe:), a battery cabinet similar to Gogoro's.

Honda has been slow to embrace electric vehicles, both in cars and motorcycles.

While Honda's swappable battery system has been around for a few years, it hasn't been widely used outside of Japan until recently. Honda, along with Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki, developed a swappable battery consortium, indicating their intention to position their battery as a competing standard.

Honda has already attempted to introduce this battery in Europe with the Honda EM1 electric scooter, and now they are targeting the Indonesian market.

Indonesia has a population of 275 million, and a significant number of households use motorbikes for commuting. Although electric vehicles are still a small portion of the market, the availability of more options is helping to increase the number of EVs in Indonesia. Honda aims to enter this market by introducing its EM1 electric motorbike.

In Indonesia, Honda is offering the EM1 for sale with or without batteries. The package without batteries would likely rely on battery swapping subscriptions. The price of the EM1 without batteries is around US $2,600, while the package with batteries included is priced at approximately US $2,930.

Honda's battery swapping cabinets function similarly to Gogoro's, with the exception that they do not automatically recognize the user and scooter based on information stored in the batteries. Instead, users will need to swipe a membership card to activate the station and swap batteries.

While it is encouraging to see Honda taking electric motorbikes more seriously, it is unclear how many different standards for swappable batteries are necessary. While it makes sense to have multiple options to avoid relying on a single company, having too many different types of swappable batteries can also be problematic. Honda seems to be in the early stages of development and is following Gogoro's lead by entering countries where Gogoro has already established itself. Gogoro's success in battery swaps suggests that they have a solid understanding of the market, while other companies are still testing the waters. Additionally, several companies, including Yamaha, have designed their scooters to accommodate Gogoro's batteries, indicating that the industry may already be favoring a winner.

FutureCar Staff