Shifting focus from “charging” to “swapping and sharing”
Honda battery packs make people’s mobility and daily lives more enjoyable and renewable energy more accessible.
Toward the realization of carbon neutrality, the use of electric mobility products is becoming widespread. Anticipating such a trend, Honda created Honda Mobile Power Pack e: (MPP), an easy-to-use swappable battery pack, to address the key issues facing electric mobility products, namely the long charging time, inadequate range and high battery cost.
By leveraging its unique characteristics of being portable and swappable, the MPP can be used not only for Honda products but for a wide range of applications including electric mobility products of other OEMs, a household stationary battery, and a portable power source for outdoor uses.
Moreover, the use of MPPs can be further expanded by making the sharing of MPPs possible by setting up battery swapping stations on street-corner locations, which will enable more casual use of MPPs.
Furthermore, by charging MPPs with surplus electricity from renewable energy sources, the use of MPPs will facilitate the buffer function for the grid and contribute to expansion of renewable energy use.
Honda developed the MPP while envisioning a future where people will enjoy their daily lives with clean and safe energy in abundant supply.
Applying a mobility company’s standards and know-how to develop a reliable battery pack people can use with peace of mind
As a company that develops and sells mobility products to be used in a wide range of use environments all around the world, at Honda, we have established strict standards for our products and amassed development know-how to comply with such standards. For example, our products are developed to guarantee high durability and reliability for many years of continuous use even in regions with extremely hot or cold climates.
The MPP is a reliable battery pack Honda developed by fully applying such development know-how so that our customers can use it with complete peace of mind. The compact MMP is filled with the wisdom and ingenuity of Honda engineers who want to enable people to use electricity whenever and wherever they need it.
1. Tough structure
Being developed with an assumption that it would be installed on mobility products, the MPP is designed to withstand vibration, shock, water, heat, electromagnetic waves, and other external factors that our mobility products may encounter on a routine basis. The MPP complies with laws and regulations and has obtained necessary certifications in each respective country.
2. Size and weight that makes MPP easily portable
The MPP features a compact size made possible by its high-density design. It is hard to tell from the exterior look that our electric scooter models such as the PCX Electric and the Benly e: are equipped smartly with two units of the MPP. One unit of the MPP weighs approximately 10kg (22 lbs.). The easy-to-grip handle design and perfectly set center of gravity makes MMP easily portable and swappable.
3. Battery pack with a “brain”
The MPP is equipped with a battery management unit with multiple embedded integrated circuits (ICs). In the unlikely event of the occurrence of an abnormality, the battery management unit not only automatically controls battery input/output, but also records, on its memory, key information such as the time the abnormality occurred and the status of the MPP-powered vehicle/equipment. Other data such as charging frequency and the operating data of the MPP-powered vehicle/equipment can also be recorded on the memory of the MPP. By sending such data to the external device while the MPP is charging, various services that leverage such data will be available for customers.
Making people’s daily lives more convenient and enjoyable with MPPs
To make people’s mobility and daily lives more convenient and enjoyable, Honda developed the MPP with an eye toward future expansion of its applications.
Honda has been pursuing the concept of “Honda eMaaS,” which combines 1) the EaaS (Energy as a Service) that connects energy and services and 2) the MaaS (Mobility as a Service) that realizes the freedom of mobility for people. At Honda, we position the MPP as one of the key elements to realize the Honda eMaaS concept, which will enable us to contribute to the expansion of renewable energy use.
The conceptual diagram below introduces how the MPP is actually linked to our daily lives, and how the use of MMP will make our daily lives better.
The pursuit of the Honda eMaaS concept to change the future of our mobility and daily lives
In order to take full advantage of the unique feature of the MPP, which enables people to “carry” electricity in small amounts and swap the MPP instead of waiting for it to get recharged, Honda has been developing not only MPP-powered electric mobility products but a variety of products that help us in our everyday lives and work.
Honda has been working toward the establishment of industry standards for portable and swappable batteries, based on which we will expand the use of the MPP for more products, including products of other companies and household devices. This will enable us to strive for the realization of a battery sharing network for a broad range of products.
Moreover, Honda Mobile Power Pack Exchanger e:, a battery swapping station capable of charging multiple MPP units, can be connected to the power grid so that the MPPs will be charged with and store surplus electricity from the grid and serve a “buffer function” to reduce the charging load on the power grid. Then, during the time when electricity supply runs short of demand, the electricity stored in MPPs can be supplied to the power grid to achieve peak-load shifting. By making the use of renewable energy easier and more convenient with the peak-load shifting of the grid, Honda will strive to further expand applications of the MPP.
Increasing the use of renewable energy by achieving the peak-load shifting (peak shaving)
Renewable energy, which is attracting attention as a clean energy, has weaknesses due to the amount of electricity generated that fluctuates depending on natural conditions such as weather and time of day. By providing a buffer function to store surplus electricity in the MPP, and by using the stored electricity when power generation level is low, peak-load shifting (peak shaving) is achieved, and the charging load put on the grid is reduced. This makes it easier and increases the use of renewable energy, thereby contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality.
Battery swapping station designed for battery sharing
The Honda Mobile Power Pack Exchanger e: is a battery swapping and sharing station capable of charging multiple units of the MPP simultaneously. After or during the use of MPP-powered mobility products, the users can stop by a station and swap an MPP with a low battery level for a fully-charged MPP. This battery sharing system will become an infrastructure that enables more people to use electric mobility products without waiting for a battery to recharge or to be concerned about running out of battery power.
Future expansion of MPP applications in our daily lives
When we can achieve widespread use of MPPs throughout our society, we will be able to use various electric products more conveniently, which will lead to a society where renewable energy is used more effectively without any waste.
The Honda Mobile Powe Pack e: is one of the key initiatives Honda has been pursuing toward the realization of its 2050 goal of carbon neutrality.
【Video】Advancing our mobility and daily lives with MPP (Honda Mobile Power Pack e:)
Introduction of the Honda initiative of the Honda Mobile Power Pack e: swappable batteries
-- Advancing our mobility and daily lives with the MPP --
