Brittan’s bp and Italy’s Piaggio Group (makers of the famous Vespa) have recently announced a cooperation agreement (MoU) aimed at developing battery swapping stations across Europe, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and India. Furthermore, the companies are set to explore the creation of comprehensive electric vehicle services such as Battery as a Service (BaaS) and Vehicle as a Service (Vaas).
According to a press release, joint efforts will focus on India, where BP affiliate group, Jio-bp (Reliance BP Mobility Limited)- and Piaggio are already involved in developing electric two-and three-wheeled electric vehicle services.
Battery as a Service (BaaS) has been acknowledged as a way by which car makers can decrease the sale price of electric vehicles, whilst simultaneously diversifying revenue. However, the failure of Israeli battery-swapping start-up, Better Place, in 2013 has led some to question the viability of the broader BaaS business model.
Do you think the BaaS model is the future of transportation? Let us know in the comments.
Image: Christian Scheja from Munich, Germany (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Light_blue_Vespa_GL,_front.jpg ), „Light blue Vespa GL, front“, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode
