Honda and GoCimo, a Swedish electric motorcycle rental service, are launching a one-year trial in Malmö, Sweden, to test the viability of battery swapping for electric motorcycles. The trial, scheduled to begin in February 2025, will involve the installation of Honda’s “Power Pack Exchanger e” at three locations in the city, where users of GoCimo’s all-electric EM1 e scooters can exchange depleted batteries for fully charged ones.
Honda will provide 30 EM1 e electric scooters and 60 Honda Mobile Power Pack e batteries for the trial. GoCimo will manage the battery-sharing service, securing the swapping station locations and acquiring customers. This partnership builds on the companies’ existing experience in battery sharing, with GoCimo already offering the service in Stockholm and Gothenburg, and Honda operating similar stations in countries including Japan, India, Indonesia, and Thailand.
The initiative is part of Honda’s strategy to promote the electrification of motorcycles and expand the use of swappable batteries across Europe, particularly for business users. Daiki Mihara, Operating Executive at Honda, stated that the trial aims to create a sustainable business model for electric motorcycles that could be scaled across Europe. GoCimo’s CEO, Mattias Tingvall, emphasized the benefits of battery sharing in reducing entry costs, minimizing downtime for charging, and enhancing safety, helping to accelerate the adoption of electric motorcycles in Europe.
