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Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha to make swappable motorcycle batteries

Just as electric cars are becoming ever more common, the alternative propulsion system is starting to make headway in the motorcycle sphere. Companies such as Harley-Davidson and Zero already have electric models on sale, but other established brands are preparing for the electric future. Among them are the four big Japanese bike builders (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) who have a plan to improve electric bike adoption, and make their bikes very appealing. The four companies created an organization back in April 2019 for this sort of purpose called the Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles. And the group has now announced that the manufacturers have agreed on the specifications for motorcycle batteries that can be interchanged among each company's motorcycles. So if you have a Suzuki, you can use a Honda battery, or vice versa. This idea presents quite a few interesting possibilities. The manufacturers could sell bikes with or without batteries, since you might already have a battery from your previous bike, or just another one you own, so you wouldn't have to shell out to buy an entirely new battery. If, for whatever reason, you needed a replacement battery, it should be easy to get one, since the same type would support bikes from a variety of manufacturers. The pipe dream of battery swapping stations might even be feasible because of the standardization and support. And having the batteries relatively easy to remove could be good for apartment dwellers, since they might be able to bring a battery inside to charge. The manufacturers haven't said exactly what the specifications are for these interchangeable batteries, nor when they'll be implemented. But we'll be eagerly awaiting more information in the future. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Hydrogen deal between GM, Honda getting factory real

Honda and General Motors may take their cooperation on hydrogen fuel cell technology to the next level by opening a joint factory to produce the components. If the plan comes to fruition, the two automakers could open the plant by 2025 at the latest. "By cutting costs with General Motors, we hope to increase our FCV production capacity to help achieve the government's goal," and anonymous Honda official told The Asahi Shimbun. The Japanese newspaper didn't specify where the companies might build the factory, but the plant would allow the automakers to share the expensive costs of mass-producing fuel cells. Honda and GM would continue to independently develop the actual vehicles that would use these components. The automakers teamed up in 2013 to split the massive investment that's required to develop fuel cell components. Despite years of research focused on driving costs down, the amount of money required to build a hydrogen car can quickly add up for any company because of the expensive metals that the fuel cell stacks require, and there's the additional expense of creating technology in this still burgeoning field. By sharing common parts, Honda and GM can lower prices through economies of scale. Both automakers continue to move forward with hydrogen vehicles. For example, the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell (pictured above) launches in Japan this year, and it should help the country's goal to have as many FCVs on the road as possible in time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Meanwhile, GM has a fleet of fuel-cell test vehicles that has driven over 3 million miles.

Honda Civic Tourer images arrive early on web

Honda provided a teaser sketch of its Civic Tourer concept wagon about a month ago (right), but today, just a couple days before its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show, we've found these official pics of the car in question from WhatCar?
The Civic Tourer concept adds a little length and height to the current Civic hatchback sold in Europe, stretching the shape every which way to make a new wagon model that will compete with cars like the new Volkswagen Golf Variant, which is also making its debut in Geneva this week.
As we mentioned when Honda released the teaser sketch last month, the European Civic is different from the Civic sold here in the US, so the production version of this concept, which should debut in the fall, will never see the inside of a dealership in the States. Do you care, or does the smaller Fit fill that role well enough for Americans?