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<\/p>\nAutomotive giant Stellantis\u2013which owns no fewer than 14 car brands, including Fiat, Dodge, Jeep, and Opel\u2013has partnered with California-based startup Ample to launch a fleet of city cars that can have their high-voltage batteries swapped in about five minutes.<\/p>\n
The partnership will see 100 Fiat 500e EVs that operate within Stellantis\u2019 Free2move car-sharing service be retrofitted with Ample\u2019s modular batteries which can then be swapped on a module-by-module basis at the startup\u2019s swap stations.<\/p>\n
The initial program will launch in Madrid, Spain, in 2024, where Ample already has a presence. Furthermore, the two companies said in a joint statement that they\u2019re working to integrate the tech in more Stellantis vehicles.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe partnership with Ample is another example of how Stellantis is exploring all avenues that enable freedom of mobility for our electric vehicle customers,\u201d said Ricardo Stamatti, Stellantis Senior Vice President, Charging & Energy Business Unit. \u201cIn addition to other projects we are focused on, Ample\u2019s Modular Battery Swapping solution has the opportunity to offer our customers greater energy efficiency, outstanding performance, and lower range anxiety. We are looking forward to executing the initial program with our stellar Fiat 500e,\u201d Stamatti added.<\/p>\n
The cool thing about Ample\u2019s modular batteries is that they can be individually swapped based on the driver\u2019s needs, and the technology allows for the number of modules to be variable from one swap to another. For instance, a customer may only need 20 kilowatt-hours of battery for a day of driving around the city but then a bigger capacity can be installed for longer drives on the weekend.<\/p>\n
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Ample’s second-generation battery swap station<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Ample, we believe in the importance of making electric vehicles accessible to everyone without compromises, which is the only way that we will make a significant impact on lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Stellantis\u2019 ambitious electrification goals, its range of electric vehicles, and the commitment of its leadership make Stellantis a perfect partner in achieving our goals,\u201d said Khaled Hassounah, CEO of Ample. \u201cThe combination of offering compelling electric vehicles that can also receive a full charge in less than five minutes will help remove the remaining impediments to electric vehicle adoption. We look forward to working with Stellantis to deploy our joint solution across communities around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ample modular batteries<\/p>\n
Ample\u2019s battery swap tech debuted in 2021 when the first stations popped up in California. Back then, the first-gen stations were capable of changing all the retrofitted battery modules with a freshly charged batch in about ten minutes.<\/p>\n
But earlier this year, Ample launched its second-gen station which cuts the waiting time in half and adds other niceties like allowing the driver and passengers to get in and out of the car mid-swap. When the upgraded station was announced, the California startup said it planned to deploy about a dozen of them in the United States, Spain, and Tokyo, Japan.<\/p>\n
While the latest-generation Fiat 500e is bound to arrive in the U.S., we\u2019re not getting our hopes up that it will come with battery-swapping abilities anytime soon, at least for end-users. But for car-sharing programs like Stellantis\u2019 Free2move, it might be a winner, cutting downtime and potentially increasing the company\u2019s profits.<\/p>\n