Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and GoCimo, a Swedish start-up that provides rental and sharing of electric motorcycles with interchangeable batteries, will begin a battery sharing verification test in Malmö, Sweden, in February 2025 for a period of one year.
The purpose of the test is to verify the acceptability of a battery sharing service in Europe, the suitability of a new battery swapping station and the business feasibility of the service.
The test will consist of Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: battery exchange stations, located at three locations in Malmö, which will be used to exchange Honda Mobile Power Pack e: batteries for the EM1 e: electric scooter sold by Honda in Europe.
For this test, Honda will provide hardware and systems, including 30 EM1 e:s, 60 Honda Mobile Power Pack e:s and three Honda Power Pack Exchanger e:s, as well as after-sales service.
GoCimo was founded in 2022 to tackle rising emissions and traffic congestion in the delivery and transportation sector, driven by the growth of the urban logistics market. So far, GoCimo has operated battery sharing services in two Swedish cities (Stockholm and Gothenburg).
In this verification test, GoCimo will be responsible for operating the battery sharing service, acquiring and managing customers, and securing battery swap station locations.
Honda has already launched battery sharing services in Japan, India, Indonesia and Thailand. This verification test in Sweden is the fifth country to launch Honda’s battery sharing services.
Starting with this initiative with GoCimo, Honda aims to promote the electrification of motorcycles and the widespread use of interchangeable batteries in Europe by expanding battery sharing using Honda products, primarily for business users, in major European cities, to to support the electrification of mobility and contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society.
Honda and GoCimo will also evaluate the potential for a long-term partnership for the European market during the verification test.
“Honda promotes the global spread of electric motorcycles. The joint verification test of the battery sharing service with GoCimo creates a new business model for electric motorcycles in Europe that will be expanded to the entire European region in the future to promote the spread of electric motorcycles and Honda Mobile Power Pack e: to accelerate.”
“GoCimo has successfully validated the business model for battery sharing subscriptions for light vehicles in Europe. Our customers confirm that our service helps them in the transition to electric vehicles by lowering the investment threshold, minimizing downtime due to charging and improve safety during the charging process. This joint verification test with Honda allows us to further explore the market potential of battery sharing services.”
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.