Honda will install its battery swapping station called ‘Power Pack Exchanger e’ at three locations in the Swedish city. Here, drivers renting one of Honda’s all-electric EM1 e through GoCimo can exchange empty batteries for a fully charged pack.
In total, the manufacturer will supply 30 electric scooters and 60 batteries (the so-called Honda Mobile Power Pack e) for the trial. GoCimo will operate the battery-sharing service, secure the locations for the swapping stations, and acquire customers.Both companies already have experience in the field. According to the press release, GoCimo already offers battery-sharing services in Stockholm and Gothenburg, while Honda has swapping stations in Japan, India, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Honda states that through the partnership with GoCimo, it wants to “promote the electrification of motorcycles and the widespread use of swappable batteries in Europe by expanding battery sharing services using Honda products, mainly for business users, in major European cities.”
“The joint verification test of the battery sharing service with GoCimo will create a new business model for electric motorcycles in Europe, which will be commercialised and rolled out across the entire European region in the future to accelerate the spread of electric motorcycles and Honda Mobile Power Pack e,” says Daiki Mihara, Operating Executive, MCPP Elect Biz Dev Unit at Honda Motor.
“GoCimo has successfully validated the business model for battery-sharing subscriptions for light vehicles in Europe. Our customers confirm that our service helps them transition to electric vehicles by lowering the investment hurdle, minimising downtime due to charging, and improving safety during the charging process,” explains GoCimo CEO Mattias Tingvall. “This joint verification test with Honda allows us to further explore the market potential of battery-sharing services.”
