SBMC's Remarkable Progress: From Prototyping to Standardization

The Swappable Batteries Motorcycles Consortium (SBMC) has launched its initiative only two years ago with a primary focus on the customer's foremost benefit: A common standard for L-category vehicle batteries enabling interoperability, compatibility, safety and security, thus opening the door to significant cost reductions for all stakeholders via the advantages of a universal battery standard.

Prototyping achievements  
While the 2022 activities mainly engaged in defining unified technical specifications for the battery system across its member base, this effort extends beyond mere theoretical groundwork and encompasses a comprehensive testing phase, coupled with the development of battery prototypes by two selected suppliers. The primary aim of the first phase of prototyping is to validate and refine the specifications.

As SBMC brings this phase to a close and gain valuable insights, the forthcoming second phase, set for next year, will focus on creating prototypes for field trials, conducted in partnership with battery manufacturers, swapping station providers, and OEMs.

Battery prototype

SBMC as liaison partner
These common technical specifications, and their validation through prototyping and testing activities will be proposed as a contribution to feeding the discussions in both European and International standardization bodies. Indeed, SBMC has been recognised as Liaison partner in ISO TC 22 SC 38 “Motorcycles and Mopeds”, CEN/CLC/JTC 13 "Cybersecurity and Data Protection", CENELEC TC 69X “Electrical systems for electric road vehicles” and CEN/TC 301 "Road vehicles".

Significant Progress Towards Standardization 
In October 2023, delegates from SBMC participated for the first time in the ISO TC 22 SC 38 WG 2 discussion (meeting held in Tokyo, October 11 and 12, 2023).
The results were positive with a recommendation to prepare a draft project proposal based on six main “chapters” towards standardising a swappable battery system: 
1: General & Safety requirements 
2: Mechanical parts 
3: Connector  
4: BMS 
5: Electrical parts 
6: Test specifications 
The process will progress with the collection of proposals, inputs and materials from all ISO TC 22 SC 38 WG 2 members, then merging SBMC inputs with all others into a comprehensive document, that will be circulated for feedback from all working group members.  
The next meeting will be held on 16 & 17 April 2024, in Torino (Italy). 

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LinkedIn
We are proud to announce we have more than 450 followers on the professional social media platform, LinkedIn; 
​Bringing together key stakeholders on the platform, from manufacturers, designers, investors - right through to users, to encourage a common technology to boost electric mobility through swappable batteries.
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Past and upcoming events

June 2023: SBMC General Meeting
​Thanks to Honda’s invitation, the SBMC Annual meeting took place at the R&D facility in Offenbach from June 29-30, 2023, with over 60 participants including technical, regulatory and user experience experts.  The meeting was centered around technical progress and prototyping activities. 

Over 60 participants at SBMC's Annual Meeting

November 2023: EICMA
MEET SBMC @ EICMA - URBAN MOBILITY HALL 18 - 
This new space at the International Two-Wheeler Exhibition, promoted with our member ANCMA (National Association of Cycles-Motorcycles and Accessories), is a seed in the soil of EICMA that the event wants to grow and is also configured as a privileged place to listen to the needs of businesses and road users. 
Enriched with talks, demonstrations and informative meetings, the objective is to represent how two-wheelers, are already and will increasingly be a concrete answer to a new and more complex demand for mobility coming from the city. 
Meet us from November 9 to 12 at the SBMC booth in HALL 18, together with other relevant companies, institutions, law enforcement agencies and industry startups, to which EICMA offers an international showcase.  

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New Members
We are happy to announce we have 10 new consortium members since the start of 2023, bringing the total number of current SBMC members to 38.
​A comprehensive description of all members can be found here.

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