Battery swap stations are nothing new. They allow the battery of electric cars to be replaced with a fully charged pack in just a few minutes. Renault and Tesla notably tried it, but have since abandoned their respective ambitions. This trend has, however, proven itself in China, where the manufacturer Nio has installed more than 1,300 “Power Swap Stations”. The brand is also starting to import its model to Europe.
Stellantis launches into battery exchange, first in Spain
It is now the turn of Stellantis (Peugeot, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Opel, Fiat, Jeep, etc.) to launch into interchangeable batteries, in partnership with the Californian specialist Ample. However, it is in Europe (in Spain precisely) that the first experiment will be launched in 2024. The two partners plan to use this technology on a fleet of 100 electric Fiat 500s from Stellantis’ Free2move car-sharing service. .
Once at the indicated location in the station, the driver can initiate the battery exchange from a mobile application. The operation only lasts 5 minutes, barely more than refueling a thermal car. The old battery will then be charged and installed in another vehicle.
This type of station would only take three days to install, according to Ample. However, to make the vehicles compatible, the company replaces their original battery with a specific “modular” pack, the capacity of which is not specified. Fortunately, these batteries “can adapt to any electric model, which would allow Stellantis to integrate this technology without having to modify its vehicle platforms”explain the two partners.
In the future, this partnership could expand “to other Stellantis platforms and other geographies to meet fleet and consumer demand.”