Electrification of mobility until now was mostly a solo effort by isolated companies who have been pushing the technology forward in their own individual ways. Consequently, we have seen a substantial number of companies crop up, each claiming to produce the best electric motorcycle. Some companies have successfully partnered up such as Hero/Ather, but none have been as significant as the one announced
recently.
The Japanese “Big Four” of Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki have agreed to work towards formulate a unified standard for battery technology, charging stations and everything else for electric motorcycles!
An indication of what the Big Four are planning comes from
this Kawasaki patent. It shows how Kawasaki have managed to fit a detachable frame on what looks like a Ninja 300 (the article incorrectly says it’s a N400, although the N400’s lighter frame would be an advantage, no?)
Essentially, this
patent seems to describe how the potential electric bike, has a standard tubular frame with the difference being that the left portion of the frame has a set of hinges, allowing a section to pivot and open up, giving one free access to the batteries. The bike would be equipped with a lithium-ion power source, with a primary battery that will have the ability to be swapped for a fully charged unit, once its charge is depleted and a secondary battery that can be charged while on the go.
A platform with “forks” that allows for convenient removal of the battery pack is also described. Owing to the detachable portion of the frame, the platform can simply be rolled over to the side of the bike to mount/dismount the battery block!
So, basically the Japanese Big Four will be combining their efforts to develop and standardize battery swapping technology and the associated charging networks. Battery swapping could potentially be the decisive solution to “electrify” our motorcycles. It could be as convenient as visiting a petrol pump, to switch your discharged battery for a fully charged one and be on your way in a matter of minutes!
However, this is not an original idea. The first company to announce an ambitious battery swapping technology was Taiwan’s Gogro in 2015, followed by a more well-known Taiwanese company KYMCO, with their Ionex electric scooters and battery technology. Although, KYMCO with global presence, issued an open invitation to all manufacturers to design Ionex-compatible batteries, they were spectacularly unsuccessful to get any traction.
The definitive target of the Japanese Big Four becomes evidently clear then, it’s to win the race to set the global standards for electric motorcycles and four of the world’s biggest manufacturers working together is a major force to be reckoned with. It’s one thing to go against Gogro or even KYMCO, but who would dare compete with the collective financial resources, engineering prowess and the sterling reputation enjoyed by Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki? For most smaller manufacturers, designing or even using compatible technology would be the most logical ideas, as it would allow them to take advantage of the Big Four’s huge network. It would inevitably lead to standardisation of electric motorcycle technology and thereby convenience to end users like you and me!
Although, the specifics of the partnership haven’t been made public, it is unambiguously clear that the Japanese have displayed strong intent to work on mass produced electric two wheelers. This hopefully, will be a game changing decision to make electric motorcycles affordable and eventually replace the petrol-powered ones.
I sure am “electrified”!