Honda, KTM, Piaggio, Yamaha working on unified standards for electric bikes

This move is expected to promote the widespread use of light electric vehicles.

Published On Mar 01, 2021 04:43:00 PM

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Honda, KTM, Piaggio, Yamaha working on unified standards for electric bikes

Honda, KTM, Piaggio and Yamaha have come together for the creation of a swappable batteries consortium for motorcycles and light electric vehicles.

This move is expected to promote widespread use of EVs
The activities will start in May 2021
It will define the standardised technical specifications

Back in April 2019, it was Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki who were expected to work on unified standards for electric bikes. However, that plan appears to have fallen through and two European companies have taken the place of Suzuki and Kawasaki.

In the context of the Paris Climate Agreement and the transition to electromobility, the founding members of the consortium believe that the availability of a standardised swappable battery system would both, promote the widespread use of light electric vehicles and contribute to a more sustainable life-cycle management of batteries used in the transport sector. This includes mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles.

Also, by extending the range, shortening the charging time, and lowering vehicle and infrastructure costs, the manufacturers will try to answer customers’ main concerns regarding the future of electromobility.

The companies are also expected to work closely with interested stakeholders and national, European and international standardisation bodies; the founding members of the consortium will be involved in the creation of international technical standards. The consortium will start its activities in May 2021. The four founding members encourage all interested stakeholders to join the cooperation to enrich the consortium's expertise.

Noriaki Abe, managing officer, motorcycle operations, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., said “The worldwide electrification effort to reduce CO2 on a global scale is accelerating, especially in Europe. For the widespread adoption of electric motorcycles, problems such as travel distance and charging times need to be addressed, and swappable batteries are a promising solution. Considering customer convenience, standardisation of swappable batteries and wide adoption of battery systems is vital, which is why the four member manufacturers agreed to form the consortium.”

Executive officer Takuya Kinoshita, chief general manager of motorcycle business operations, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd., said, “I believe the creation of this consortium holds great significance not just for Europe but the world as we move towards establishing standards for swappable batteries for light electric vehicles. I’m confident that through work like this, the technical specs and standards that currently differ by regional characteristics or the state of the industry in different markets will be unified, and, in the future, will help lead towards maximising the merits of electric power for customers on a global level.”

What do you think of the consortium? Let us know in the comments.