Trial begins for Singapore’s first battery charge and swop station for electric motorcycles
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SINGAPORE - It takes six seconds to exchange the empty batteries of an electric motorcycle for fresh ones and get back on the road – at least according to the battery charge and swop station located at 239 Alexandra Road.
This is good news for delivery riders leasing from Cycle & Carriage’s (C&C) fleet of 20 electric motorcycles under a new partnership with foodpanda, which was announced on Thursday.
The self-service station has 30 spaces to charge and exchange batteries. The automotive group has another station at 330 Ubi Road 3, and delivery riders can access both locations round the clock.
This is the first swopping station of this type being tested in Singapore. Permission was granted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in 2022 to Gogoro,
The Taiwanese company is partnering C&C for the trial in Singapore.
Most of the 20 electric motorcycles have already been spoken for – they are leased to food delivery riders on one-, three- or six-month contracts.
To support the trial, C&C has set up a workshop at the Alexandra Road location, complete with trained technicians and two dedicated motorcycle hoists.
The leasing contract covers the battery swopping service and maintenance costs, in addition to the electric motorcycle. C&C declined to comment on how much riders have to pay, but said that factoring in the services makes the operating costs comparable to those for conventional motorcycles.
Dealers said a motorcycle suitable for food delivery jobs will cost around $30 to $50 a day to rent. These deals exclude fuel and maintenance costs.
Training is given to the riders on how to operate the motorcycles and swop the batteries.
The lithium-ion batteries weigh about 10kg each. An electric motorcycle needs two of them, which are plugged in under the rider’s seat.
Depending on riding conditions, a full charge can cover up to 100km.
The vehicle is unlocked with a contactless card. It has a top speed of 90kmh and an electric reverse function, which helps riders to back out of parking spaces.
LTA has approved two operators providing electric motorcycle and battery swopping services – Gogoro and MO Batteries, which started its on-road trial with two electric motorcycles in February
While Gogoro’s concept of charging the batteries at the swop station means there is no need to collect and dispatch batteries for centralised charging – as is the case for MO Batteries – C&C said it took more time to get the necessary approvals for the two stations.
LTA said in September 2022 that newer charging technologies
Mr Wilfrid Foo, managing director of Cycle & Carriage Singapore, said the automotive group is using the partnership with foodpanda to find out the operational viability of the electric motorcycle and battery swopping concept in Singapore.
This will include working out the ideal number of charging stations needed to serve riders, as well as information on how the electric motorcycles are used.
The partnership with Gogoro is the first two-wheeled venture for C&C in Singapore, which is known for representing car brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Kia and Citroen.
In 2021, the company bought the remaining 30 per cent of shares in Republic Auto
