Honda battery exchange station introduced in Japan
At the forefront of charging for replaceable battery technology for motorcycles and scooters in Japan is Honda’s Power Pack Exchanger, a charging and swapping station, with Gachaco Inc. get the first unit.
While it’s not the first time it’s implemented this kind of technology – Honda runs a similar system in India for e-bikes – it marks a step forward in Japan.
The Honda Power Pack Exchanger is capable of charging multiple batteries at once (MPP e), for use in electric motorcycles and other products that run on these battery packs.
Users can pick up a fully charged MPP e from the station instead of having to wait for the car to charge, compensating for the inconvenience of charging and the range limitations that often occur with electric vehicles.
The Honda Power Pack Exchanger is designed to provide an infrastructure that enables widespread use of MPP e and electric vehicle battery systems, running the Honda Power Pack Cloud system to manage battery sharing services.
Running as a battery wall, the exchanger features angled slots for easy battery insertion and automatic charging. Battery swapping is via an IC card for authentication, with the system letting the user know which batteries are empty and fully charged.
The cloud system allows anyone to check-in, find stations, swap batteries, and pay. This is also accessible via smartphones, while for businesses running these services, it’s all centrally managed through cloud services.
The exchanger can also be expanded, with the main unit having expansion units added to the main control unit, for greater capacity and charging, ensuring a scalable solution for different environments. high demand schools.
The device will also continue to run during a power outage, using the MPP e as the power source so users can continue to rent the battery.
The Honda Power Pack Exchanger is part of the manufacturer’s support in electrifying mobility products and contributing to a low-carbon society. Renewables account for 22.4% of electricity production in Japan in 2021, with fossil fuels accounting for 71.7% while nuclear accounts for nearly 6%, according to isep.
This seems to be the perfect answer to make electric scooters and mopeds truly viable for city/suburban commuters. Unfortunately, I think we are still a long way from seeing something like this being used on a large scale in Australia.
