The startup Ample has developed new battery-swapping technology for electric vehicles, reducing charging time and grid demand.
According to Green Car Reports, the company announced in March that it will set up a battery-swapping network in Tokyo for delivery trucks. The battery-swapping design is built into vehicles at the factory. Mitsubishi and the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation will provide the vehicles.
Ample is also developing drop-in replacement battery packs to work with existing vehicles and cooling systems. Manufacturers don’t need to redesign vehicles to suit Ample’s technology.
This network and technology will make EVs more convenient in many ways. EV owners won’t spend hours charging vehicles or pay high prices for faster charging. Instead, they will swap their battery in five minutes and be back on the road.
Fast charging also reduces battery lifespan. As batteries weaken, they hold less charge, which limits driving range. Luckily, most EV companies have warranties that cover the batteries.
But when a warranty runs out and a battery needs replacing, it can cost as much as $26,000, per Business Insider. Some people must sell their perfectly good EV because they can’t afford a new battery.
Ample’s battery-swapping system solves these problems. EV owners won’t have to wait for batteries to charge, and batteries will last longer. Furthermore, low, continuous battery charging is gentler on the electrical grid. Fast, on-demand, lengthy charging requires more grid power, which might not always be available.
Battery swapping is excellent for the planet. EV battery production has a significant carbon footprint. EVs are more eco-friendly than gas cars, but battery swapping can reduce the need for lithium mining and battery manufacturing.
No more fast charging means an even longer battery life. This reduces the harmful emissions created during mining and manufacturing as well as landfill pollution from disposed batteries.
Some people are skeptical about battery swapping. Comments on State Of Charge’s (@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney) YouTube video on Ample’s new tech were divided.
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One person argued, “A lot of people written off battery swapping just because Elon said so and forget EV got the same treatment few years earlier.”
“With the number of EVs growing over the years, we need innovative solutions to bring electric energy to mobile transportation. Simply relying on-demand cable-based charging will not scale well into the future,” someone else pointed out.
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