Piaggio, Yamaha, Honda And KTM Form Consortium To Use Battery For Electric Vehicles

JAKARTA – Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio said on Monday 6 September that it had formed a consortium with Honda Motor Co., KTM AG and Yamaha Motor Co. to encourage the use of exchangeable batteries for electric motorcycles and light electric vehicles.

The Swappable Battery Motorcycle Consortium (SBMC) aims to expand the use of light electric vehicles, such as scooters, mopeds and motorcycles, and support their more sustainable battery management, the joint statement said.

This agreement will focus on issues such as battery life, recharge time, infrastructure and cost and will work to define international standard technical specifications for interchangeable batteries.

The companies in the consortium said they welcome others who want to join them in extending the standard to as many companies as possible.

"Urban mobility is going through a difficult moment of transition to electrification. Thanks to this consortium, motorcycles will continue to play a key role," said Piaggio Chief of Strategy and Product Michele Colaninno.

Honda Motorcycle Operations Chief Officer Yoshishige Nomura said the consortium's goal was to make electric motorcycles more convenient for clients, as "its use on a large scale can substantially contribute to the creation of a more sustainable society".