Battery swappable motorcycle consortium

[noteven]

Link to a story

Some motorcycle oem's thinking on making electric motorcycle batteries swappable across makes.

This would work for box shaped RV's - forklift at the battery swap station depot, slide the battery out of the basement tray, slide in the charged one.  

 

[RV_]

noteven,

Wow I missed that standardized battery news. Thanks for the heads up! I'll be watching to see if it pans out now too.

Honda, Yamaha, KTM, and Piaggio (Vespa) all involved may make this real. .

Now we can do the same with motorcycles? Awesome. I hope they do get together on a battery system that all can use with all their bikes. Lithium Ion tech is awesome but even NiMh tech has come a long way. I use nothing but NiMH batteries that have 90% or so of their charge after storing for a year. Unlike the old NiCads which were dead if they sat up for a few days to weeks! The new NiMh, however, are just no good for wall clocks that use one AA. THey are intentionally too big. So I still buy some Alkaline, very few.

Gas motors can't do instant torque like battery electrics can power wise to the wheels. Like the Honda CBX in the old days was considered dangerous because it was too much power and could get out from under even experienced riders. Never mind all the mechanical drama, noise, leaks, and poisonous fumes of fossil fuels. Yes when in my 20s I put glass packs on the '66 Mustang and Abarth exhausts on my MG Midget, Triumph Spitfire and some of the performance VWs I restored/customized. It's really different with my Tesla. The instant torque and launch, and just accelerating when safe to the speed limit is way better than the noise. I always liked my motorcycles, even my 1996 Electra Glide Classic, with quiet mufflers and never straight piped them. I liked the Goldwings best, almost silent, and the fastest smooth launch in almost silence I ever rode. My Kawasaki 500 2 stroke was faster but vibration, noise, was too much and it handled like a brick. It would try to pop wheelies unexpectedly on fast takeoffs untilI got used to it. Like the Tesla, with the big Goldwings, they were so quiet and smooth I'd look down and be doing 80 when I thought I had only accelerated to 45!

If they do that and I can carry a spare in a carrier I may just have to get one. If the industry did the same to electric bicycles inner city cars would be a lot less necessary. Especially if they make inexpensive three wheeler micro size cars, like the Elio was supposed to be, with 200 mile range and swappable batteries for folks without a house in apartments. The Elio was supposed to be registered as a motorcycle, why not?

I know the battery swap guys are looking to swap on trips for vehicles. But we want to stretch our legs, take a break and walk the dog. And grab a bite. Enough time to Supercharge.

Bikes never had the range of cars because of gas tank size. Swappable batteries or carrying a spare may make them better in range than the current gas bikes. With scary torque!

Edited September 21, 2021 by RV_

[noteven]

I test rode 2 Zero electric motorcycles at a dealer demo. One was a rapid upright nekked type and the other was an enduro style on/off road police bike, about the size of a Suzuki DR400.  Very popular with law enforcement in parks and event venues - ride up and down stairs, walkways etc. 

Anyhoo I had my black gear on. I'm like, "I wonder if the blue and reds are connected?" Well now don't they work a treat in congested traffic to get folks to move over a bit so you can split through.  Some drivers even put their phones down. 

An electric road bike does not fit my needs due to short range.  I could see owning an on/off roader.