Consortium for exchangeable batteries
Yamaha Motor Signs Letter of Intent with Honda Motor, KTM and Piaggio to Establish Exchangeable Battery Consortium for Motorcycles and Light Electric Vehicles
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that the company has signed a letter of intent with Honda Motor Co., Ltd., KTM AG and Piaggio & C SpA to establish a consortium of exchangeable batteries for motorcycles and light electric vehicles.
In the context of the Paris Climate Agreement and the transition to electromobility, the founding members of the Consortium believe that the availability of a standardized interchangeable battery system would promote both the widespread use of electric vehicles lightweight and would contribute to more sustainable management of the life cycle of batteries used in the transport sector.
Also, by expanding the range, shortening the charging time and reducing the costs of vehicles and infrastructure, manufacturers will try to address the main concerns of customers regarding the future of electromobility.
The objective of the Consortium will therefore be to define the standardized technical specifications of the interchangeable battery system for vehicles belonging to category L: mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles. Working closely with interested stakeholders and national, European and international standards bodies, the founding members of the Consortium will be involved in the creation of international technical standards.
The consortium will begin its activities in May 2021. The four founding members encourage all interested stakeholders to join the cooperation to enrich the expertise of the consortium.
Takuya Kinoshita, General Manager of Motorcycle Business Operations, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. said : " I believe that the creation of this consortium is of great importance not only for Europe but also for the world, as we move towards establishing standards for replaceable batteries for light electric vehicles. I am convinced that through work like this, technical specifications and standards currently differing depending on regional characteristics or the state of the industry in different markets, will be unified and, in the future, will help to maximize the merits of electric power for customers globally. »
