Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced plans to launch a battery-sharing service for electric rickshaw three-wheel taxis in India in the first half of 2022, using the Honda Mobile Power Pack e: (“MPP e:”), Honda’s brand-new portable and interchangeable batteries.
As the economy in India continues to grow, the demand for energy is increasing and air pollution is growing. To address these issues, work is underway across the country to expand the use of renewable energy and actively pursue electrification of the transportation sector, which accounts for about 20 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
There are more than 8 million auto rickshaws in India and they are an essential means of daily transportation of people to date. In urban areas, these rickshaws are mainly powered by CNG (compressed natural gas) and represent a major challenge for electrification.
Electrified mobility products currently available on the market face three problems: short range, long charging time and high battery costs. To support India in accelerating electrification and expanding the use of renewable energy in the country, Honda is working to eliminate these three problems by promoting the use of interchangeable batteries and the sharing of such batteries. To this end, Honda will launch a battery-sharing service for electric rickshaws in the first half of 2022, using MPP e:.
In view of this new activity, Honda began demonstration testing in India in February 2021, with 30 electric rickshaw taxis having traveled a total of more than 200,000 km. Through these tests, Honda identified issues that needed to be addressed and verified the viability of the project.
Honda’s battery sharing service allows rickshaw drivers to stop at the nearest battery exchange stations in town and swap an MPP e: that is running low with a fully charged MPP e:. Using this service will greatly reduce the driver’s concerns about running out of batteries, as well as eliminate the risk of losing business opportunities with customers while waiting for the rickshaw batteries to charge.
To begin this service, Honda will establish a local subsidiary in India that will serve as a battery sharing service company. The subsidiary will install a number of Honda Mobile Power Pack Exchanger e: battery exchange stations and provide a battery sharing service in the city. Honda will partner with electric rickshaw manufacturers and begin the service in select cities first, then expand to other areas in phases.
“Honda Mobile Power Pack (MPP) has enormous potential to electrify all kinds of devices, including small mobility products, and expand the use of renewable energy. By offering a battery sharing service in India, Honda will help accelerate the electrification of rickshaws and expand the use of renewable energy. In addition, Honda will continue to bring more joy to people around the world to expand their life potential by further expanding the use of the MPP to larger areas.”
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.