The Swappable Batteries Motorcycle Consortium (SBMC) Has Grown from 4 to 21 Members

• SBMC has been accepted as a formal liaison member to the CEN-CENELEC
• Berlin-based Battery-as-a-Service-Startup Swobbee is now an official member of the SBMC
• Swobbee will contribute its specific experience in the development of swappable batteries and intelligent swapping stations
• Upcoming pilot projects under participation of Swobbee will test and evaluate pattern of use

Founded in September 2021 by KTM, Honda, Piaggio and Yamaha, the Swappable Batteries Motorcycle Consortium (SBMC) has quickly grown  to 21 members (and counting).

The mission of the SBMC is to accelerate the deployment of swappable battery systems by developing and promoting new common technical specifications towards global and open standardization. In its first six months, the consortium took essential steps at an incredible pace.

Its aim is to ensure full interoperability of swapping batteries to facilitate their application and boost sustainable mobility.

This is what emerged during the SBMC Summit held in July 2022, with 40 of its representatives convened at the KTM Motohall in Mattighofen, Austria. This event was the perfect occasion to reflect on the progress made over the consortium’s first semester of existence, and to set the scene for upcoming activities towards standardization.

The vision, strategy and operations of the consortium were established across its members, the committees and working groups. The consortium was equipped with the proper tools and instruments to fulfill its ambitions. The set of relevant technical specifications was agreed upon, and the SBMC’s work streams on prototyping and standardization were successfully kicked off. Strategic positions were also taken, among which are the acceptance of the SBMC as Formal Liaison Member to the CEN-CENELEC and membership in CEN-TC301 and CEN-CENELEC JTC-13.

The consortium’s constructive approach has enabled it to overcome the technical challenges of developing interconnected and compatible systems. The SBMC is on track to achieve its goals as planned, and can now count on the best available expertise in the world to do so.

The current members are: AVL, Ciklo, Fivebikes, Forsee Power, Hioki, Honda, Hyba, JAMA, Kawasaki, KTM, KYMCO, Niu, Piaggio, Polaris, Roki, Samsung, Sinbon, Sumitomo Electric, Suzuki, Swobbee, Vitesco, VeNetWork, Yamaha.

With its many years of practical experience in battery swapping infrastructure and system configuration of battery technologies, Swobbee will make a valuable contribution to the development of a multi-vehicle compatible, high-performance rechargeable battery. In the course of the project, there will be field trials in one or more European cities, in the planning and implementation of which Swobbee will be actively involved. The aim is to test battery swapping on motorcycles, gain usefull data for further development and analyze user behavior.

More information on https://www.sb-mc.net/