The Japanese ‘Big Four’ comprises the largest motorcycle firms in Japan; Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki. The quartet has plans to speed up the development of electric motorcycles by launching a testing scheme in Osaka.
In 2019, the Big Four announced that they would join forces to quicken plans to deliver swappable battery technology and electric models to the market sooner and more efficiently. Electric motoring has progressed in the four-wheel industry. However, there are only a handful of zero exhaust-emissions motorcycles on sale, while many manufacturers are still years away from debuting their first.
Last year’s announcement involved Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki establishing a consortium to develop swappable batteries for e-motorcycles to standardize the technology and ensure batteries can work in a range of brands. The same way that an iPhone and Android can charge by the same cable, the bikes will charge via the same device.
After several months, the quartet finally announced the launching of the e-Yan Osaka trial. The trial will play a significant role in improving the technology. Students and employees at Osaka University will have the opportunity to ride electric motorcycles and use battery-swap stations on campus.
Noriaki Abe, Honda’s Managing Executive Officer, and Chief Director said:
As a result of repeated collaboration studies among four domestic motorcycle companies, we were able to collaborate with e-Yan OSAKA to verify the common specifications of replaceable batteries. We are aware that there are still issues to be solved in the spread of electric motorcycles, and we will continue to work on improving the usage environment of our customers in areas where each company can cooperate.
Swappable battery technology is likely to be suitable for small displacement motorcycles, scooters, and ride-share urban services. While it’s unclear whether this collaboration will pave the way for technology-sharing to be applied to larger models, it’s likely to be the first step in that direction.
