Earlier, we told you that Honda is planning to venture into battery sharing service for electric tricycle taxis (so-called “rickshaws”) in India by the mid of 2022. Now, we have learnt that it has established a new subsidiary for the same with the name - Honda Power Pack Energy India Private Limited. Through its battery sharing service, Honda intends to resolve three issues of electric auto rickshaws (E-auto): limited range, long charging time, and high cost of batteries. The services will start in Bengaluru, Karnataka from the first half of 2022 and gradually expand in other Indian cities in phased manner.
Honda’s battery sharing service subscribers can avail the services from nearest battery swapping station located in the city to exchange batteries. Being christened as “Honda Mobile Power Pack e:”, it will be made in India. The auto rickshaw drivers can replace their discharged batteries with Honda’s fully charged, all-new portable and swappable batteries. Through this, drivers need not to wait for charging and can get back on the road in marginal time. In addition to offering battery sharing service, the new company will closely work with multiple vehicle OEMs who wish to integrate Honda’s battery into their vehicles, by providing necessary technical information for interface.
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Honda began demonstration testing in India in February 2021, with 30 units of electric rickshaw taxis driven for a total of more than 200,000 km in operation. The company will install a number of Honda Mobile Power Pack Exchanger e: as battery swapping stations and conduct battery sharing service. There are more than 8 million units of auto rickshaws in India, and they have been an essential means of daily transportation for people. Honda Mobile Power Pack e: is lithium-ion battery capable of storing a large amount of electricity, even more than 1.3kWh. Honda Power Pack Energy India seeks to encourage the use of renewable energy and contribute to the carbon neutrality in India.
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