Now more than ever, we're seeing technological advancements centered on electric vehicles accelerating at a blindingly fast pace. If you haven't yet come to terms with the certainty that electric powertrains will soon replace our beloved internal-combustion motors, then it's probably time for you to wake up and smell the coffee. Nearly all manufacturers are now investing millions towards the development of electric platforms, and synthetic fuels.
We've heard about Honda's plans of developing a swappable battery pack for use on electric scooters and other lightweight personal mobility devices. Dubbed the Honda Mobile Power Pack, this nifty piece of tech is a portable, swappable battery which is compatible with a myriad of small electric vehicles. Think of it as the good old double-A battery, but a bajillion times more high-tech. This is the future that Honda envisions for the mobility sector.
With the concept and the technology theoretically being the logical next step towards the mainstream adoption of electric transport, the Japanese company has begun testing the Mobile Power Pack in India. Interestingly, it isn't being tested in some futuristic electric scooter. Neither is it being put through its paces on some performance-oriented machine. No, Honda is testing the Mobile Power Pack in commercial three-wheelers known locally as rickshaws. Now, given the fact that these power packs must be very sturdy and capable of standing the test of time, testing them via a commercial application simply makes sense.
The repeated charging and discharging cycles, as well as the heavy loads applied to the batteries and the electric powertrains the batteries are feeding will certainly give Honda's engineers and developers some valuable insights towards the product's overall performance, which will inevitably result in an improved, more efficient, and longer lasting finished product.
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In a report published by Moneycontrol, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is currently testing the Mobile Power Pack in electric rickshaws in order to "verify the business and technological feasibility of battery sharing business.” The report further added that due to the fact that the Honda Mobile Power Pack is just starting its testing phase, no fixed plans when it comes to commercial launch are in place just yet.
Sources: Money Control, CycleWorld