Tuesday, April 29, 2025

In Bangkok, Toshiba & Naturenix Begin Testing Battery Subscription Service for Electric Motorcycle Taxis

Share

Join daily news updates from CleanTechnica on e-mail. Or follow us on Google News!


Bangkok electrical bike taxis assist vacationers handle visitors congestion. But, beforehand, the batteries from the EV taxis suffered from excessive temperatures. The difficulty is very noticeable in two- and three-wheeled autos, the place including cooling units is difficult, notably in hotter nations like Thailand. Costly lithium-ion batteries generally have to be modified after just one or two years of operation, making them economically inefficient and restricted.

Toshiba’s “SCiB” rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, that are well-known for his or her reliable, long-lasting efficiency in extraordinarily sizzling or chilly temperatures, are getting used now in a brand new efficiency take a look at to handle this shortcoming and guarantee extra steady, longer-lasting operation of electrical bike taxis. This can decrease the massive preliminary funding in a battery and lower working bills. This trial, which started in Bangkok, will present excellent news to many cities coping with congestion and the rising city warmth challenges attributable to local weather change.

Toshiba Company and Shimane College–based mostly battery tech startup Naturenix Inc. began trialing a battery subscription service for electrical bike taxi drivers in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 30, 2024, with these SCiB rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Improved battery life will assist lower materials use and contribute to a smaller environmental footprint.

The battery pack utilizing SCiB™ cells and battery charging locker used within the demonstration take a look at with a motorbike. Picture courtesy of Toshiba.

The necessity for lithium-ion batteries in growing economies

By 2035, demand for lithium-ion batteries in rising economies is predicted to exceed 600 GWh. Simply 2.8% of that’s anticipated to return from lithium-ion batteries for bikes and three-wheeled autos, each of which are sometimes utilized for each day transportation. The brand new developments by Toshiba and Naturenix, although, are anticipated to open up a big marketplace for bike and three-wheeler batteries. The collaboration and testing deal with each causes for low demand in a subject the place batteries might play a major position, together with deterioration and security considerations.

Toshiba Naturenix electric motorcycle fleet battery leasing

The battery pack’s knowledge evaluation options regularly confirm the battery’s state. That is relayed to AI, which may ship extraordinarily exact estimates of battery degeneration. Relying on the diploma of degradation, it may be reused in many various sorts of purposes, comparable to a stationary storage battery.

“The Toshiba’s battery SCiB™ used in the demonstration test is characterized by its long life and high level safety, with minimal performance deterioration even after over 20,000*2 charge-discharge cycles. This longevity is particularly important in hot environments like Thailand. It also has excellent safety features, making it less likely to experience abnormal heating or ignition, even in the event of an internal short circuit,” Toshiba writes.

“Naturenix’s packing and charging technologies minimize heat generation by reducing internal resistance to the extent possible. By utilizing these technologies, the company aims to achieve longer battery life and higher output, as well as faster recharging, in as short a time as six minutes. It also expects to reduce the number of batteries on standby for recharging, and by doing so cut the service operating costs.”

Naturenix will lease batteries to its shoppers, who’re electrical bike drivers, on a subscription foundation through fleet operators. It permits fleet operators to provide electrical bikes to their prospects with out incurring the price of batteries, decreasing the excessive preliminary prices related to electrification. Toshiba, the battery producer, plans to generate constant income from battery leases, manufacturing, and gross sales.

Featured picture: “Traffic jam on Phahonyothin Road, near Ha Yaek Lat Phrao BTS station, 2 December 2023” by ILikelargeFries (public area picture).

mental health webinar


Chip in just a few {dollars} a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to speed up the cleantech revolution!


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Need to promote? Need to counsel a visitor for our CleanTech Discuss podcast? Contact us here.


Join our each day e-newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or join our weekly one if each day is simply too frequent.


Commercial




CleanTechnica makes use of affiliate hyperlinks. See our coverage here.

CleanTechnica’s Comment Policy




Our Main Site

Read more

More News