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Japanese battery swapping consortium Gachaco - batteries will be jointly manufactured by Honda and Yamaha
Background Introduction
Founded in 2022, Gachaco, as a company focusing on battery swap services, aims to provide electric motorcycle users with convenient and efficient motorcycle battery replacement solutions by providing battery swapping platform. By launching the “Honda Mobile Power Pack e:” swap business similar to Taiwan’s Gogoro Network, Gachaco is committed to solving the problem of electric vehicle range anxiety.
In order to further improve its battery sharing technology, Gachaco conducted a battery sharing experience event from October to November last year, from which it accumulated valuable experience.
Gachaco Battery Sharing Experience Event
During the one-month experience event, Gachaco selected 30 participants and provided them with free rentals of the latest Honda electric mopeds EM1 e: and Benly e:. Participants were required to pay for the battery swapping service, which was priced very competitively – only 300 yen (about 15 yuan) per month, and the battery cost was 300 yen per kilowatt-hour.
The event was only open to users in the Tokyo area and required participants to be able to pay the relevant fees with a credit card. After the event, each participant received a special gift card as a thank you.
Battery Sharing Service for Individual Customers Launched
Based on previous successful experience, Gachaco officially opened its battery sharing service to individual customers in the Tokyo area on January 9, 2024. This means that individual users can enjoy the same convenience as corporate customers.
Honda’s EM1 e: scooter became the first battery swapping motorcycle model for individual users, and its purchase price was significantly reduced to 97,200 yen (including taxes and Tokyo local government subsidies), equivalent to about US$689.
Gachaco has also launched different battery subscription services, including a lightweight subscription plan (1,078 yen per month) and a standard subscription plan (2,805 yen per month), as well as pay-as-you-go and pay-per-use options, with prices below 200 yen (or $1.50) per kilowatt-hour. These services are designed to meet the diverse needs of different users.
Details of the cooperation between Honda and Yamaha
In addition to the previous announcement that Gachaco will supply motorcycle battery to Honda EM1 e: and Benly e:, two commercial electric motorcycles, in August 2024, Honda and Yamaha recently issued a press release announcing that Yamaha’s future electric motorcycles will also be supplied by Honda.
These scooters will be based on Honda’s EM1 e: and Benly e: electric delivery scooters, and the batteries will use the Gachaco battery replacement system.
The cooperation between the two parties should be aimed at Japan, which relies heavily on this type of low-speed commercial motorcycles, and both parties have always been the leaders in this market. It is hoped that through mutual cooperation, the popularity of batteries can be promoted faster.
International Perspective
Although Gachaco has not yet announced specific plans for its international expansion, Honda has launched the EM1 e: in several overseas markets such as Europe and Indonesia, and plans to promote it in more markets around the world. Considering that both Honda and Yamaha are members of the European “Swappable Battery Motorcycle Consortium”, this alliance is also committed to creating a battery swap module that can be used across car manufacturers.
If the battery module technology jointly developed by Honda and Yamaha in the Japanese market can be successful, then this technology is expected to be applied to the European and even global markets in the future. With the in-depth cooperation between Honda and Yamaha in the fields of electric vehicle manufacturing and battery sharing, Gachaco and its partners are expected to play a more important role in the global electric motorcycle market.
This cooperation will not only help lower the cost threshold of electric vehicles, but also promote the standardization of battery technology, thereby providing consumers with more convenient and sustainable electric travel solutions.
Conclusion
With the growing global demand for clean energy vehicles, electric motorcycles are gradually becoming an important part of urban transportation. The efforts of Gachaco and its partners in the field of battery sharing are crucial to promoting the maturity and development of the electric motorcycle market. The cooperation between Honda and Yamaha is an important milestone in this process, indicating that the arrival of the era of electric mobility is just around the corner.
