Japan’s Honda Motor will partner with Gocimo, a Swedish start-up that operates a rental and sharing service for electric motorcycles with swappable batteries, on a year-long trial of a battery sharing service in Malmo, Sweden from next February. The collaboration aims to evaluate the potential for a long-term partnership for the European market.
The purpose of the trial is to verify the acceptability of a battery sharing service in Europe, the suitability of a new battery exchange station, and the business feasibility of the service.
The trial will consist of Honda battery exchange stations located at three locations in Malmo, which will be used to exchange battery packs for Honda’s EM1 e: e-scooter. Honda will contribute 30 scooters and 60 battery packs to the initiative, as well as offering an after-sales service. The service will be mainly targeted at commercial scooter users.
Gocimo — founded in 2022 and currently responsible for battery sharing services in the Swedish cities of Stockholm and Gothenburg — will be responsible for the operation of the battery sharing service, customer acquisition and management, and securing locations for battery exchange stations.
Honda has already launched battery sharing services in Japan, India, Indonesia and Thailand. “Honda is promoting the spread of electric motorcycles globally. The joint verification test of the battery sharing service with Gocimo will create a new business model for electric motorcycles in Europe, which will be expanded to the entire European region in the future to accelerate the spread of electric motorcycles and Honda Mobile Power Pack e:,” says Honda’s Daiki Mihara.
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“Gocimo has successfully validated the business model for battery-sharing subscriptions for light vehicles in Europe,” says its CEO Mattias Tingvall. “Our customers confirm that our service helps them transition to electric vehicles by lowering the investment hurdle, minimising downtime due to charging, and improving safety during the charging process.
“This joint verification test with Honda allows us to further explore the market potential of battery-sharing services,” he continues.
