It might make sense to have stations along a particular route, but demand can spike around travel, like at Thanksgiving time. "Just like bike-sharing, it's not evenly distributed. "Battery swapping has massive challenges in terms of capital requirements," he said. Long-time electric vehicle researcher and automotive writer John Voelcker says any battery swapping effort in North America will face warranted skepticism. Transportation and mobility investors Moore Strategic Investors and Hemi Ventures also invested in Ample. These energy businesses are facing disruption as governments push for wider adoption of electric vehicles. The company has raised $68 million in venture funding, led by Shell Ventures and joined by Repsol Energy Ventures and Eneos Innovation Partners. The co-founders also said swapping should enable used electric vehicles to stay on the road, performing perfectly for longer, rather than turning into e-waste.
But it has to be cheaper and simpler, because we're not competing with gas yet."īy removing and charging drained batteries at off-peak hours, or using electricity from renewable energy sources to charge them up before a swap, Ample can help fleets hit environmental goals and spend less on electricity. Hassounah also noted that "electric should not be a tough decision.
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"With a kind of continuous update of the battery, a car that is 10 years old can drive about as far as the newest model being released this year," Ample President and co-founder John de Souza said. Like most companies in the emerging field, Ample is looking to reduce the environmental impact of energy generation for the onslaught of electric vehicles in the U.S.
They take up the space of only about two parking spots. They are prefabricated and assembled wherever they're wanted, but do not require complex construction or permitting. The company is pushing to get the time for a swap to less than five minutes this year.Īmple battery swap stations are designed to be installed quickly along a route. Companies trying battery swaps in the past exchanged the entire pack, not individual modules within them.ĭrivers can sit in the car or get out and stretch their legs while the swap is completed. Ample can replace a few modules in a pack or all of them, depending on how much of the battery was drained and how far it needs to go before returning home for an overnight recharge. The company spent about seven years developing robotics that can remove spent battery modules from a car's battery pack and replace them with fully energized modules in less than 10 minutes. Hassounah added that his company's approach is technically distinct from prior efforts. They log hundreds of miles a day and don't want to put wear and tear on their batteries by rapid charging them every shift, Ample founder and CEO Khaled Hassounah said. Eventually, Ample hopes to make swapping an option for all EVs.Įven though EV batteries have improved over the past decade, Ample believes swapping will be popular among fleet managers, delivery, service and ride-hail drivers.