Honda launches exchangeable batteries for scooters

Inspired by the Gogoro model in Taiwan or Zeway in France, Honda offers its own solution with interchangeable batteries at stations.

The Taiwanese Gogoro seems to have been right. This brand has spectacularly conquered the local electric scooter market with its batteries exchangeable in stations all over the island. In France, Zeway’s rental scooters do the same. A solution that also inspires Honda, which presents a similar ecosystem.

Honda Batteries in India and Japan

The Japanese manufacturer is launching the Honda Power Pack Exchange e:, or simply HPPE e:. This is the first concrete solution supporting the new joint venture Gachaco, which also includes Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. Each large cabinet charges multiple batteries, here 12 in the photos, but it is modular with several cabinets. Each battery is stored at an angle that allows the handle to be oriented upward.

The first Honda battery exchange stations are appearing in India, providing tuk-tuk taxis, as well as in Japan with the first in Tokyo. Eighteen stations are expected to open by the end of March 2023, according to Gachaco. Users only need to find the nearest station via an app, identify themselves with a card, and exchange their empty battery for a full one.

Prices from €37 to €65 per month

The price is included in a subscription ranging from 5,500 to 9,500 yen/month (€37 to €65), depending on usage. The standard Honda battery of 1.31 kWh, weighing 10 kg, would cost 88,000 yen, or about €600. These stations are not planned to launch in Europe for the moment, but Honda does plan electric scooters and motorcycles.

Also read: Troopy deploys its Yamaha electric scooters in Paris