Stellantis is teaming up with Ample, a startup based in California, to bring EV battery swapping to their electric vehicles. This could let EVs swap out old batteries for fully charged ones in just a few minutes.
Recently, the two firms announced a solid agreement to incorporate Ample’s battery-swapping technology into Stellantis’ EVs. They plan to kick things off with 100 Fiat 500e hatchbacks that will be part of Stellantis’ Free2Move car-sharing service in Madrid starting in 2024. Right now, Ample has four battery-swapping stations in Madrid and is planning to add nine more, according to their CEO Khaled Hassounah. Although no further plans were detailed, it’s interesting to note that the 500e will also be available in the U.S. in 2024, where Free2Move is already operating in several cities.
Ample, founded in 2014, is aiming to succeed where many other battery-swapping services have failed. Their approach involves using small battery modules that can replace a vehicle’s original battery pack without needing to rework the vehicle itself. They also boast that their swapping stations can be set up in just three days. At these stations, a driver just needs to park, start the swap with an app, and get a new battery in under five minutes. However, existing vehicles can’t be retrofitted with Ample’s battery modules.
So far, Ample has mainly collaborated with fleet operations, applying its technology to Nissan Leafs used by Uber in San Francisco and to Fuso eCanter commercial trucks. These uses, along with the Free2Move service, seem to fit well with a system that requires dedicated batteries for EVs. Additionally, this year, Fisker noted that its Ocean electric SUV would receive swappable batteries from Ample in 2024, likely for consumer use. Stellantis is also thinking about offering battery swapping to their retail customers, probably starting with the 500e, according to Ricardo Stamatti-Avila, the senior vice president of Stellantis’ charging and energy division.
Battery swapping has the potential to make recharging as simple as filling up a gas tank, but it’s been tough to pull off. Just over ten years ago, a startup called Better Place failed after trying to launch a battery-swapping service in Israel. Tesla also experimented with it before quickly abandoning the idea after building just one station. Ample’s method is unique because their stations swap out battery modules individually instead of the entire battery pack. They claim this makes the stations easier to install and the technology easier to adapt to different vehicles.
Nevertheless, other companies are exploring battery swapping too. The Chinese carmaker Nio has a significant battery-swapping network in China and is now expanding into Europe. Last year, CATL, a battery manufacturer, started its battery-swapping service called Evogo.