Honda has announced that the Japanese manufacturer will be starting a new Battery Sharing service in the Indian market. The Honda battery swapping service will be available on electric tricycle taxis, which are also known as “Rickshaws” in India. The brand will begin the new service in the first half of 2022. Honda will use the Honda Mobile Power Pack e: also known as “MPP e:”, which is Honda’s all-new portable and swappable batteries.
In the Indian market, the government is pushing for electric vehicle adoption, especially in the commercial sector. As the economy continues to grow, energy demand is increasing. And with the surge in demand for energy, air pollution, especially in metropolitan cities, is rising. The government is also making country-wide efforts to encourage the use of electric vehicles, especially in the transport sector. The transportation sector contributes to about 20% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, there are more than 80 lakh units of auto-rickshaws traversing Indian streets. Auto Rickshaws are an essential means of daily transportation for people. In cities, these auto-rickshaws mainly use CNG (compressed natural gas) powertrains, and the three-wheelers are facing quite a challenge to get converted to electrified powertrains. The key challenges include short range, long charging time and high cost of batteries. Honda plans to eliminate these challenges through the use of swappable batteries and by sharing such batteries using MPP e: in the first half of 2022.
The Japanese manufacturer already began testing the new technology in India from February 2021. The MPP e: has been employed on 30 units of electric rickshaw taxis. The electric rickshaws have been driven for a total of more than 200,000 km in operation. During the test phase, the brand also identified various issues and verified business viability. Honda will set up various battery swapping stations in key cities, and rickshaw drivers with be able to stop by at the nearest battery-swapping station and swap an MPP e: with a low remaining charge for a fully-charged MPP e:. This will considerably reduce the range anxiety and the risk of losing business opportunities with customers while waiting for rickshaw batteries to be charged.
Honda will employ a subsidiary in the Indian market to conduct a battery sharing service business. The Honda Mobile Power Pack Exchanger e: conduct battery sharing service in the city. The brand will also work with electric rickshaw manufacturers and begin the service in key cities. Honda also plans to expand its service to other cities in the near future.
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