If you haven’t considered battery swapping as the future of electric motorbikes, then the last few days should give you reason to consider. With companies like Gogoro leading the way and KYMCO hot on their heels, now Vammo is launching its own battery-swapping stations for electric motorcycles.
If you haven’t heard of Vammo before, then you’re probably not alone. Not only did the company recently change its name (formerly Leoparda), but they’ve also started by focusing on an underserved part of the world when it comes to battery-swapping motorcycles: South America.
The startup isn’t brand-new though, they’ve already got the experience of over 75,000 battery swaps under their belt since last December. Those were performed in manual battery-swap stations that required a Vammo representative, but now the company is launching its new self-service stations developed to significantly expand its operations.
Vammo doesn’t develop its own electric motorbikes like Gogoro, but instead partners with existing motorcycle manufacturers to operate a swapping-as-a-service model. For now, the service is available to Vammo’s customers who ride on a wide spectrum of motorcycle models and types, such as the VS2 or VS1 from VMoto SuperSoco. Vammo’s battery-swap stations have been specifically developed to work with various battery types, sizes, and power levels.
That service is particularly useful for delivery riders and motorbike taxis who use their two-wheelers for all-day shifts. With that many kilometers on the road, the massive cost benefits of electric motorbikes stack up even quicker. But ensuring the bikes can ride all day means having freshly charged batteries ready to swap out whenever necessary.
The process takes less than two minutes at Vammo’s new battery stations, or around the same amount of time as a typical fuel fill-up. Riders pull up to the battery swapping cabinets and load in a depleted battery to receive a freshly charged pack.
So far the company has operated the first station for a month in a pilot program, seeing around 75 swaps per day at its São Paolo location. The ultimate goal is to increase to 500 stations across Brazil before expanding to other South American cities. Starting in Brazil is particularly compelling since the country’s electric grid is served by around 90% renewable energy generation.
As Vammo CEO Jack Sarvary explained:
The autonomy of electric vehicles has always been one of the reasons that have slowed down the mass adoption of this type of vehicle, but our swap stations will overcome this challenge and encourage the use of electric bikes. We are committed to promoting electrification in Latin America in a way that makes sense for consumers financially, with convenience and safety. We deeply believe it will be the key turning point to popularize electric mobility in the region.
Interestingly, the cabinets are designed with variable charging rates that can respond to current battery demand.
Vammo’s director of hardware engineering Jeff Inhofer explained how that works:
We can choose the pace of recharging according to the demand for batteries. If a location has a higher demand, we can accelerate battery charging in each compartment individually. A three-hour recharge is ideal, but we can do it in less than 45 minutes if we want to.
Inhofer, who previously led development for the V3 Supercharger at Tesla, added that the current prototype testing period will help the company refine those systems:
These prototypes will be used to ensure we have all the features needed for a safe and easy swapping experience. Testing them on the streets of Brazil allows us to make last-minute changes or improvements before we start going into mass production.
Electrek’s Take
Sign me up! Like, literally. I’d use this service in a heartbeat. Heck, I want to try one of these Vammo swaps.
In fact, I already use battery swapping in my daily life. I own a Gogoro electric scooter and I swap batteries roughly once a week. In the first 1,500 km (nearly 1,000 miles) I’ve put on the scooter, I haven’t charged it once. I just swap batteries in a few seconds at one of a dozen stations around town and continue on my way. The scooter does highway speeds, takes me everywhere I need to go, and is my main source of transportation.
And that’s exactly what Vammo is doing for Brazil, a country that hasn’t yet benefitted from the expansion of Asia’s leading battery swapping companies. Vammo also has its work cut out for it since South American electric motorcycle users often prefer higher-power rides with bigger batteries that are able to go farther and faster in more spread out communities. That means Vammo’s stations have had to account for that, and it looks like they have based on the massive doors on these battery cabinets. My Gogoro batteries are relatively small in comparison, so Vammo is definitely having to react to a different local motorcycle culture and its unique needs.
The process doesn’t look quite as slick as Gogoro’s “drop it in” stations, since it appears you still have to plug and unplug the battery yourself. But at least it’s something that the rider can do by themselves instead of needing an employee to perform any part of the battery swap.
This is definitely an exciting one to keep an eye on. I’ll be following Vammo closely to see if they can do for South America what Gogoro is doing in Asia.
Oh, and if one of these freakin’ companies wants to finally bring battery swapping to the laggards in North America and Europe, that’d be mighty appreciated! Bunch of cavemen having to slow charge our bikes over here…. grumble grumble.
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Chevron is not seeing signs that the U.S. is close to a recession even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs weigh on expectations for oil demand, CEO Mike Wirth said Tuesday.
“There’s no signs that we see at this point that we are in or close to a recession,” Wirth told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “There are signs that growth may be slowing and we have to always be prepared for that.”
The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its growth outlook for the U.S. this year to 1.8%, down from 2.7% previously.
The oil market is expecting reduced demand as a consequence of Trump’s tariffs and the decision by OPEC+ increase production faster than expected, Wirth said. Chevron isn’t changing its capital spending plans in response to drop in prices, the CEO said.
U.S. crude oil prices have fallen about 11% since Trump announced his tariffs on April 2. West Texas Intermediate was last up about 72 cents at $63.80 per barrel. OPEC and the International Energy Agency have cut their demand outlooks for this year.
Wirth said U.S. onshore oil production in patches like the Permian Basin is likely to pull back if prices hit $60 per barrel. Offshore production likely won’t be affected, he said.
“That’s an area where if we were to be at a $60 price or even lower you’re likely to see activity pull back in this sector and you’ll see the production response over a few months,” Wirth said. “That’s what we should watch, not so much the deep water activity.”
Chevron is not expecting a major direct impact on its business from Trump’s tariffs as energy has largely been exempt from the levies, Wirth said.
“The effects that we feel are likely to be more the macroeconomic effects as they flow through the economy,” Wirth said. “The bigger issues would be what would it mean for growth, and global trade and how does that evolve.”
Executives at oil and gas companies were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariffs in an anonymous March survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warning that steel tariffs were raising their costs and low prices could impact their activity.
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Little is known about super-secretive EV startup Slate, but the fledgling brand is rumored to be backed by Jeff Bezos and determined to shake up the existing electric order with an affordable lineup of compact SUVs and pickups with that golden $25,000 price tag.
Now, at least, we know what it’s gonna look like. The battle of the billionaires is on!
Redditor jonjopop over at the spotted subreddit spotted what looks like an early prototype of an unbranded SUV with bizarre “CryShare” wrap. CryShare, as a concept, seems to combine the functionality of a ride sharing app like Uber or Lyft with the familiar (to parent, anyway) idea that small babies will often sleep better in a moving car than in their own cribs … but that’s not what’s important here.
Instead, focus on the vehicle itself – parked on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles without explanation or fanfare, this is our best look yet at the kind of vehicle(s) Slate is likely to reveal in the coming days.
Other local automotive journalists caught wind of the public unveiling, too – and our friends at The Autopian (Hi, Matt!) sent their own David Tracy out on the streets of LA to check it out. Tracy took the following video and posted it to Instagram.
As with so much involving Slate, however, there is nothing here written in stone – or even cast in cheese. Nothing has been announced, nothing is promised, and for all we know this might have more to do with the affordable Rivian brand launch, a new BYD, or be a viral marketing bit from some local Art Center design student in (relatively) nearby Pasadena. In fact, about the only thing I think we can say about Bezos (?) new Slate project with confidence today is this: Elon could probably use that drink.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Reddit, The Autopian.
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Gold prices rebounded on Tuesday from a near four-week low reached in the previous session, as heightened concerns over the global trade war between the United States and its key trading partners lifted investor appetite for safe-haven assets.
Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Gold prices rallied Tuesday, hitting a record as President Donald Trump‘s repeated threats against the Federal Reserve’s independence have shaken investors and undermined confidence in the U.S.
Gold futures hit a session high of $3,509.90 per ounce Tuesday, after closing at a record $3,425.30 on Monday. The precious metal was last up 1.1% at $3,463.20. Gold has rallied about 31% since the start of the year and more than 9% since Trump announced sweeping tariffs on April 2.
Trump ratcheted up his public pressure campaign against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Monday, demanding he immediately lower interest rates and attacking him as a “major loser.” Equity markets sold off in response, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling more than 970 points.
Gold is viewed as a safe-haven asset in times of economic uncertainty. Central banks around the world have been adding to their gold reserves, supporting the precious metal’s rally this year.
“Gold has continued to serve as an effective hedge amid ongoing trade uncertainty,” analysts led by Mark Haefele, global wealth management chief Investment officer at UBS, told clients in a Tuesday note.
“Despite this strong performance, we see further upside potential,” Haefele said. “We continue to see support from investment demand, ongoing central bank diversification and a volatile macro backdrop.”
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