French Startup Gouach Offers Repairable Batteries for Popular Electric Bikes and Scooters

Battery packs used in electric vehicles are usually made from many individual cells, depending on the desired voltage and capacity. In electric cars, these are divided into modules, whereas in smaller vehicles like electric bikes and scooters, they are packed together in a compact form factor. Often, these battery packs are built in such a way that it makes them hard or even impossible to repair when one of the battery cells is defective.

When this happens, you have to replace the whole pack (or a module in the case of EV packs) even when a single cell bites the dust. With so many electric scooters, electric bikes, and other micro-mobility vehicles in use today, a lot of battery packs need to be disposed of when even a single cell or a circuit board is faulty. Recycling is not always an option, or it can be complicated at best, so many defective battery packs have to be scrapped. French battery specialist Gouach thinks this is a waste, and that’s why it developed a whole business around re-using worn-out battery cells.

Gouach has tried to go to the root of the problem, which is the bad design of the battery packs. Since most of them are built as inexpensively as possible, they usually are non-repairable packs with the cells welded together. This is far from ideal, hindering repairability. Gouach, on the other hand, is designing battery packs wherein individual cells can be accessed and replaced as necessary. For that, the French startup has developed its own “no spot-weld” technology, which doesn’t use welding or soldering to connect the battery cells.

According to their claims, Gouach batteries can be opened and repaired in under 10 minutes. This is a great advantage, considering the time needed until a new battery pack is ordered and delivered. Even better, this lowers the cost of ownership for electric bikes and scooters, as the battery is the single most expensive component in an e-bike or scooter. Even when things go smoothly, these battery packs need to be replaced every 4-5 years.

Gouach battery packs are not only repairable, but also made from recycled materials, including cells. The startup would extract good cells from batteries that cannot be repaired due to their bad design. The working cells are then used to build new battery packs featuring the company’s proprietary solderless design.

Gouach is already offering four battery pack types, with 420 Wh, 430 Wh, 540 Wh, and 560 Wh capacity. Initially, these are destined for micro-mobility vehicles used by ride-sharing companies, considering the scale. Nevertheless, the company plans to further develop its business and is ready to offer custom designs for other companies.