A couple of years ago, Yamaha launched a new sub-brand aimed at offering ebike riders a battery swap option. Now ENYRING has partnered with Swobbee to build swapping stations in two European cities.
Instead of buying an ebike and having to charge its battery at home or carry a charger around to top-up at an accommodating cafe, Yamaha set up ENYRING to offer a battery swap alternative.
The basic idea is that a rider would buy an ebike from the Yamaha subsidiary at a reduced cost. The buyer would then pay a subscription fee so they could roll up to a local multi-battery charging station, deposit an empty pack and install a fresh one. So instead of the ebike being out of action for hours while plugged in, exhausted ebikes could be on their way again in seconds.
This service would also mean that folks needn't shell out for a new battery when their old one reaches the end of its useful lifecycle. Battery cell freshness would also be monitored as part of scheme management protocols, and units no longer suitable for e-mobility could be reused in energy storage setups or otherwise recycled.
The ENYRING concept isn't restricted to ebikes, Yamaha envisions the service rolling out to other compact urban electric vehicles as well – but the hot-swap ball will start rolling with ebikes. To that end, the sub-brand has again partnered with InnoEnergy-backed Swobbee to build networks of battery swapping stations throughout Berlin and Amsterdam.
Swobbee has already been operating a subscription service for Yamaha's Neo electric scooters in Berlin since last year, and is now being tasked with providing hardware and software for the ENYRING projects in the German and Dutch capitals ahead of pilot operations from mid-2025. Berlin is set to get 40 battery swap stations, and there are 20 being built in Amsterdam. ENYRING says that they "will be installed within a radius of around 2 km in each city center."
Riders will be able to pre-order an ENYRING ebike at the online shop shortly, or can head to one of its city stores, which are scheduled to open in Berlin and Amsterdam from Q4 of this year. Four models compatible with the company's 480-kWh battery pack are on offer – a city bike, a sporty urban ride, a longtail cargo hauler and a heavy duty cargo bike.
"We are proud to deepen our relationship with Yamaha through this exciting new venture with ENYRING," said Thomas Duscha, CEO and Co-Founder of Swobbee. "Together, we're not only building smarter cities but also setting new standards for sustainability and convenience in micromobility."
Source: InnoEnergy
