While electric vehicles offer the world peace of mind regarding their emissions, one of their downsides is the need to wait for hours to replenish their batteries, something that Fiat 500e cars will soon avoid on a test coming next year. This is through the EV battery swap technology that a startup called Ample is looking to change, in partnership with Stellantis on this latest venture.
Fiat 500e to Get EV Battery Swap Tech Testing in 2024
(Photo : Ample)
Ample and Stellantis announced their latest collaboration which will soon bring the Fiat 500e electric vehicles fitted with easy-to-swap batteries, with both companies looking to test it by 2024. This will center on Free2Move's carsharing service based in Spain, with its electric vehicle fleet of selected Fiat 500e's getting Ample battery swap technology under the new program.
The goal is to integrate Ample's technology into Stellantis' best-selling electric vehicle, the Fiat 500e, starting next year.
We're proud to be partnering with Stellantis as we share a similar vision. As a part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis announced plans of reaching a 100% passenger car battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030.
Read Also: NIO Suggests Unique Approach to Replace EV Batteries, Swapping Depleted Batteries for New Ones
Ample, Stellantis Collaboration for Fiat EVs
Ample and Stellantis' collaboration does not end there, as its Modular Battery Swapping Technology is something that the renowned car maker is looking to adopt in the future for its other fleet, not only for the carsharing service. Moreover, it was revealed that integrating Ample's technology into the Fiat 500e would no longer require re-engineering.
Stellantis is also securing as much as 400GWh of battery capacity to meet its electrification goals by 2030.
Battery Swap Technology for EVs
The idea of needing to charge a battery and waiting for it to finish the cycle has been one of the caveats that gas-powered car fans have been arguing against electric vehicles. However, the tech industry is not sitting back and leaving this discussion without a solution, as battery swap technologies from different companies are already looking to deliver an innovative way of doing it in under minutes.
One of the challenges of doing so is the need to lift the car with heavy machinery, with a renowned Chinese car company, Geely, who apart from being famous for owning Volvo, also debuted its take on EV battery swaps. Moreover, their version of an EV battery swapping station is meant for electric construction vehicles and despite the heavy load, it can do so easily.
Most electric vehicles have their batteries under the car's floor, and this means it is hard to pull out and replace, especially if it is built into the vehicle and requires special tools and intricate work. However, that is not what Ample is looking to do, especially with its latest collaboration with Stellantis, allowing owners to roll into a station and have it done in less than 10 minutes.
Related Article: Ample Branches out to New York, Japan for its EV Battery Swapping Stations That Are Fully Autonomous
