It will likely follow the electric scooter battery swapping model offered by Gogoro
Taiwanese scooter giant Kymco is set to heat up competition in the electric mobility market in Europe with the launch of the Ionex battery swapping technology for electric scooters. The company’s first destination will be Italy, where it will directly compete with compatriot Gogoro, which has a much bigger presence in the domestic market.
Gogoro, which also operates battery swapping services in major markets across Asia including China, India and Indonesia, is already offering electric scooters in Europe through a partnership with a startup called Tier but those scooters are only available for short-term rentals.
But Gogoro is not the only contender Kymco has to face in the growing segment. Japan’s Big Four motorcycle manufacturers – Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha – have also started to dabble in the battery swapping trade through a partnership formed last year, although the service is yet to be made available in the Old Continent.
As for Kymco, the company will reportedly have its electric scooters distributed in Italy by KMI di Padana Sviluppo. Thus far, there’s still no word on which model could make its way to the country but as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of scooters and motorcycles, Kymco is certainly not short of options.
For starters, there’s the Many 110 EV that has the capability to carry up to five of Ionex’s swappable battery packs to provide a decent range of up to 200 km on a full charge. With a top speed of 50 km/h and weight of just 94 kg, it will definitely feel right at home in densely populated cities like Rome and Milan.
When it comes to replenishing the energy, owners can plug the Many 110 EV into a domestic socket or fast chargers. Alternatively, they can just swap out the batteries at a battery swap station, which is exactly what Gogoro customers have been doing in markets where the service is available.
Apart from the Many 110 EV, Kymco also has the S7 and Nice 100 EV, both of which are equipped with swappable batteries.
Ionex in Malaysia?
In Malaysia, the Kymco brand has been rather inactive since the appointment of Edaran Modenas (Emos) as its exclusive distributor back in 2016. So it is probably safe to say that the we will not be seeing the Ionex range of electric scooters here anytime soon. Moreover, even with the presence of proponents such as Treelektrik and Eclimo, electric scooters are still a niche in this part of the world, not to mention battery swapping.
