Japan-based Honda Motor Company on Friday said that it would begin a battery sharing service for electric tricycle taxis (rickshaws) in India in the first half of 2022, using the Honda Mobile Power Pack (MPP), the company's all-new portable and swappable lithium-ion batteries.

“Honda MPP has huge potential to electrify all kinds of devices, including small-sized mobility products. By offering a battery sharing service in India, Honda will contribute to the accelerated electrification of rickshaws and expanded use of renewable energy," Minoru Kato, Chief Officer, Life Creation Operations, Honda Motor said in a statement.

Moreover, Honda will continue serving people worldwide with the joy of expanding their life’s potential by further expanding the utilisation of the MPP in broader areas, he said.

Honda began demonstration testing in India in February, with 30 units of electric rickshaw taxis driven for a total of more than 200,000 km in operation. Through this testing, it identified the issues to be addressed and verified business viability, the company said.

Honda’s battery sharing service will enable rickshaw drivers to stop at the nearest battery swapping stations being set up in the city and swap an MPP -- with a low remaining charge -- for a fully-charged MPP.

The use of this service will significantly reduce driver concern about running out of batteries as well as the risk of losing business opportunities with customers while waiting for rickshaw batteries to be charged, Honda said.

To begin this service, Honda will establish a local subsidiary in India to conduct a battery sharing service business. The subsidiary will install a number of Honda Mobile Power Pack Exchangers as battery swapping stations and conduct a battery sharing service in the city.

Honda will also work with electric rickshaw manufacturers and begin the service in selected cities first, it said.

The company said as the economy continues to grow in India, energy demand is increasing, and air pollution is worsening. To address these issues, country-wide efforts are being made to expand utilisation of renewable energy and to actively pursue electrification of the transportation sector, which accounts for around 20 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

There are more than eight-million units of auto rickshaws in India, and they have been an essential means of daily transportation for people. In urban areas, these rickshaws are powered mainly by CNG and have been a key challenge for electrification, it added.

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