Piaggio Vehicles, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Italian Piaggio Group, will be launching electric commercial vehicles by taking the swappable battery route. The company has tied up with SUN Mobility, an electric vehicle energy infrastructure company, for its swappable battery technology. As part of the tie-up, SUN Mobility will support Piaggio with its smart batteries with lithium ion technology and quick interchange stations. Piaggio has announced plans to convert its passenger and cargo range of commercial vehicles into electric but has not given a time frame to reach there. The company has a range of 17 auto-rickshaws, cargo vehicles and special purpose vehicles.
Piaggio and SUN Mobility will be piloting the first of these electric product and charging infrastructure in Pune and Bengaluru. The network of quick interchange stations will enable electric three-wheeler drivers to swap batteries in under two minutes, thereby, addressing concerns around range limitations and long recharging time. In Pune, Piaggio will be using their existing dealership network to set up the interchange stations while in Bengaluru, SUN Mobility will be using their network during the pilot run.
Diego Graffi, MD & CEO Piaggio Vehicles said SUN Mobility’s battery swapping solution will help create an e-mobility ecosystem without having to worry about energy infrastructure. This partnership with SUN Mobility was a step towards an easy, cost effective and eco-friendly last mile transportation, he said. Piaggio will integrate SUN’s swappable battery technology in their upcoming range of electric vehicles.
Chetan Maini, co-founder and vice chairman, SUN Mobility, said the alliance with Piaggio will accelerate electric mobility. Piaggio has manufacturing plant at Baramati in Maharashtra, with an installed annual production capacity of 3,00,000 three-wheelers and 80,000 four-wheelers.
