Honda unveiled the PCX electric scooter at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show. Now, Honda has revealed that the batteries can be replaced with fully-charged ones if the existing ones drain out. The scooter uses two removable batteries which Honda calls ‘Mobile Power Packs’.
This increases ease of use for the PCX. The manufacturer plans to have 24x7 vending machines on streets that let you deposit discharged batteries in exchange for charged ones. The vending machine will then charge your old batteries for the next customer.
At present, the EV market in India is still in its nascent stage. Easy availability of conventional fuel and long charging time for EVs are two of the factors. Besides, consumers also have a phobia of getting stranded with the batteries out of juice. In such a scenario, Honda’s hot-swap technology should offer peace of mind and encourage consumers to start using electric vehicles.
However, setting up infrastructure to create such a scenario would take many years and support from the government. While this technology is restricted to PCX as of now, we can expect it to filter down to budget scooters in the next four to five years.
