Honda Brings Battery Exchange Stations to Tokyo

Honda has recently set up an EV battery exchange station in Tokyo, Japan. Honda hopes to create a large network of battery exchange stations in Japan called Honda Power Pack Exchanger e:. Electric motorcycle riders can easily exchange their empty batteries for charged ones at the new stations.

The original concept was not created by Honda. A scooter company in Taiwan called Gogoro has been using similar technology for some years. Gogoro also partnered with the company Hero in India and brought the technology there.

The Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: can store and charge up to 12 batteries for motorcycles. The charging station can also be expanded for locations with more traffic.

The system is designed so that a motorcycle rider can park, remove the empty battery from their bike and replace it with a fully charged one from the station. The rider then leaves the empty battery in the charging station to be charged and used by the next rider. One battery takes about five hours to charge, but motorcycle riders won’t have to wait.

Honda says it will make the system easy to use. Electric motorcycle riders can access fully charged batteries with NFC on their smartphone or a separate card.

Japan’s biggest motorcycle companies, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, have agreed to use the same type of batteries in their motorcycles to speed up the transition to electric. They’ve come together to create a company called Gachaco that is part of Honda’s Mobile Power Pack e: battery sharing service.