Ample is offering a next generation battery swapping service that can swap electric vehicle batteries in only 5 minutes. The concept of electric vehicle battery swaps has been around for several years. However, it never caught on. Battery swapping is a complex process which requires the standardization of electric vehicle batteries.
Standardizing electric vehicle batteries could benefit consumers overall by making it easier for third-party manufacturers to build them. This could lead to a large aftermarket for electric vehicle batteries that results in competition as well as lower prices and even better quality in some cases.
Getting electric car manufacturers to standardize batteries is no simple feat, and charging times for electric vehicles has been falling. Instead of choosing between minutes for a battery swap versus hours for recharging like in the old days, you’d be choosing between 20 minutes for charging vs 5 minutes for swapping.
20 minutes leaves significant room for improvement as people will not be comfortable sitting at a charger for 20 minutes (unless they are shopping in a store while it charges, which is most likely a common scenario). Fast charging technology has now enabled rapid partial charging in 3 minutes called ‘jolts’.
These quick charges can add over 60 miles of range to your charge in only 3 minutes, which is helpful if you don’t have much time to wait. The viability of that depends on much range you need to add before you reach the next charging station (or your destination), which is why it really does help if there is an abundance of charging stations.
Despite all of this, the 5 minute swaps offered by Ample will still be more feasible to someone who doesn’t have 20 minutes to charge and it will be helpful if it catches on.
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