Sure, battery swapping is alive, and it’s in industrial use in San Francisco, the place an organization known as Ample gives swapping providers to fleet companions reminiscent of Uber and Sally.  Ample made its public debut in 2021 after 7 years in stealth mode, and has examined its know-how with fleet drivers to grasp the suitability of battery swapping for his or her use circumstances.

Now the corporate has demonstrated a brand new technology of its swapping know-how, the product of “years of R&D, hundreds of swaps, and greater than one million electrical miles pushed behind the scenes.” As an EV approaches an Ample station, the station acknowledges the car and robotically raises its door. As soon as completely parked inside, the driving force initiates the swap from the Ample app on her telephone.

Ample’s new station design has allowed it to lower swap time from 10 to five minutes. Its know-how can help each small passenger vehicles and enormous supply vehicles. The corporate says new stations may be deployed in simply 3 days, with no digging required. Ample says its “shoebox-sized modular batteries” may be built-in into any fashionable EV. Stations and elements may be remotely monitored and managed.

Additionally nonetheless alive: automaker Fisker, which now says it should companion with Ample to equip its autos with swappable batteries. Joint growth is already underway, and the businesses purpose to ship battery-swappable Fisker Ocean autos by Q1 2024.

The preliminary goal buyer for Fisker’s Ample-powered EVs will probably be fleet operators. The businesses will share income associated to the battery swapping mechanism.

“Our partnership with Ample will allow us to broaden the car use case for our prospects,” mentioned Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker.

“We’re trying ahead to helping with making the Fisker Ocean accessible to a large phase of shoppers as part of our objective to convey extra EVs on the highway,” mentioned Khaled Hassounah, co-founder and CEO of Ample.

Sources: Ample, Fisker