Gachako Is What The Japanese Big Four Plan To Call Their New Battery Swapping Company

Gachaco – That’s the name of the new company established by the Japanese Big Four – Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki for its common battery-swapping tech for motorcycles after the big announcement in 2019. Interestingly, Japanese petroleum firm Eneos is also a part of this. The new company will be officially established on April 1, 2022 and will not just provide sharing service of standardised swappable batteries, but will also develop the required infrastructure.

Gachaco will spearhead the Big Four’s Battery as a Service (BaaS) programme, wherein customers do not have to buy the battery, but rather opt for a subscription-based plan, like what the Bounce Infinity offers here. 

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In 2021, Honda became the first company to showcase the new battery pack developed as per the agreed standardisation. Gachaco will first commence operations with Honda’s power pack, with the first rollout starting in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. Gachaco will be setting up battery-swapping stations at centralised places including Enos service centres and railway stations.

Currently, there’s no word on expansion to the European or American market. However, Yamaha is eager for electrification in Europe, and with Kawasaki’s plan to introduce new electric vehicles in the coming year, we wouldn’t be surprised if the company expands to the European market next.

There’s no denying that standardising battery packs will be of great convenience not just for the companies but for customers too, and also allows for bigger charging/swapping infrastructure. While we may not see Gachaco in India anytime soon, Honda has been testing its battery-swapping programme in India and has formed an alliance with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited to set up swap stations across the country.