Arrow Electronics Helps Startup Oyika Establish Electric Motorbike Ecosystem

SINGAPORE, January 11, 2024 /3BL/ - Arrow Electronics is helping technology startup Oyika roll out battery charging stations in Southeast Asia cities to support a new generation of clean and quiet electric motorbikes.

The switch from petroleum-fueled motorbikes to battery power can be a significant step towards improving urban air quality in the region. Nearly 90 percent of families own at least one motorbike. And without pollution controls, a motorbike’s small inefficient engine generates tailpipe emissions equal to ten automobiles.

Air pollution is associated with elevated levels of cardiovascular and respiratory disease as well as long-term effects of climate change.

But replacing tens of millions of petroleum-powered motorbikes is a daunting task. Oyika’s founders identified the hours needed to recharge electric vehicles as one of the primary barriers to switching to battery power.

With Arrow’s help, Oyika has developed a smart battery exchange system at convenience stores. It is managed with a mobile app.

“Battery swapping essentially mimics the user behavior of combustion technology,” said Roderick Chia, Oyika’s chief technology officer. “Swapping out batteries is very much like refilling a fuel tank. It takes a minute or two.”

Arrow is working on several aspects of Oyika’s integrated solution, including design engineering for the new smart battery and power management, 4G IoT telematics, component sourcing, smart battery monitoring, and GPS-enabled security and safety.

Oyika meets regularly at the NTU-Arrow Invent Lab in Singapore. The lab was established in 2022 in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University. Oyika is testing battery stations in Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia, with expansion plans in Indonesia, Vietnam, and other motorbike markets.

Oyika has aligned its battery-as-a-service business to five of the United Nations’s sustainability goals, including climate action, affordable and clean energy, good health and well-being, gender equality and reduced inequalities.

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