Gas-powered motorcycles will be a thing for many decades to come, but electric bikes are gaining ground, and swappable batteries could help make things easier. In countries like Kenya, riders are adopting EVs faster due to the availability of swappable batteries.
Swappable Batteries Same Time and Money
Waiting hours for a battery to charge is a major downside to owning an electric motorcycle. In Kenya and other African nations, battery-swapping stations have been set up so riders don’t have to wait.
This helps save them time. Swapping batteries takes minutes, and there’s no waiting for the battery to charge.
Also, it makes economic sense. The motorcyclist only needs to buy the bike. They essentially rent the fully charged battery from the station and swap it with a new one when it runs out of juice. It is cheaper than buying fuel, according to Reuters.
“With the normal bike, I will use fuel worth approximately 700-800 Kenyan shillings ($5.70-$6.51) each day, but with this bike, when I swap a battery I get one battery at 300 shillings,” said Kevin Macharia to Reuters, 28, who transports goods and passengers around Nairobi.
Not only are fueling costs cheaper, but electric motorcycle riders also enjoy fewer maintenance costs as well, meaning they will spend less over the course of their ownership of the bike.
Other African countries, like Uganda and Tanzania, are adding swappable batter stations as well.
“We’re putting over 200 swapping stations in Nairobi and expanding to Dar es Salaam and Kampala,” said Hurst-Croft.
There are multiple companies getting in on the action. The Reuter’s report notes Arc Ride and Ecobodda as two key players, but there are others, and as this idea proliferates, you can imagine more will pop up. Ecobodda currently has 50 test motorcycles on the road, with plans for 1,000 by the end of 2023.
This is a solution that could be repeated in the West, especially in urban areas. Some of the major Japanese manufacturers are already working on this, including Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki.
