Blueshark EV Motorcycle Battery Swapping Station Spotted

Having marked its official entry into the local market back in October, EV motorcycles brand Blueshark seems to have kick-started the next phase of its local market entry by rolling out several battery swapping stations.

We’ve chanced upon sighting one of which today, which is located at the PETRONAS Batu Tiga just off the Shah Alam-bound stretch of the Federal Highway. The kiosk-like installation is nestled within the station right next to the JomCharge EV charging station that’s present here too.

This is just one of four such swapping/charging stations the brand has deployed thus far. Three other similar installations are now reportedly present at PETRONAS Section 13 in Shah Alam, PETRONAS USJ 6 in Subang Jaya, as well as PETRONAS Desa Mentari in Petaling Jaya.

The presence of these battery swapping stations at all four PETRONAS stations stems from the Blueshark brand’s recently inked partnership with the national fuel retailing giant. Said agreement alludes to both parties devising an electric battery swapping business that will run out of selected stations.

We took a closer look at the Blueshark battery swapping station we came across earlier today. On the onset, it is a relatively straightforward kiosk that houses up to 16 battery slots. It even comes with a CCTV, likely to deter misuses or vandalism, as well as theft and other unwanted interactions at said kiosk.

Though there was a touchscreen present, we couldn’t try any of its functionalities as this installation is not yet operational it seems. Nevertheless, we reckon an equally straightforward and simple user interface will be featured here, especially considering the intended use of this battery swapping station.

As reported prior, the Blueshark R1, the brand’s first model to enter the local market, boasts a claimed maximum travel range between 110 to 160 KM, depending on riding mode. It is primarily targeted towards empowering eco-friendly mobility for corporations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

That latter fact is really what drives the brand towards developing its ecosystem with these battery swapping stations, which also doubles up as a charging station. However, instead of having to wait for a full recharge, users can simply swap their depleted batteries for fully charged ones through said kiosk.

This, in turn, reduces downtime for users of the Blueshark R1, especially for the likes of riders with tight travel deadlines – i.e. e-hailing, courier, and logistics riders. For these users, this battery swapping model makes more sense as opposed to recharging via three-pin wall socket and the waiting time it entails.

Besides the four locations mentioned, a further five are expected to pop up soon, perhaps in time before Blueshark goes full on starting from January 2023 onwards. More details, including the pricing scheme for this battery swapping service, will be announced then.