500e’s range solution: Watch a battery swap

Stellantis and Ample have signed a binding agreement to set up a pilot battery-swap station which can replace a Fiat 500e’s discharged battery with a freshly charged one in less than five minutes.

The companies are discussing using modular battery swapping stations with other Stellantis vehicles and in other regions. The pilot will use a hundred Fiat 500e cars which are part of the Free2move car sharing service, which is owned by Stellantis.

The Fiat 500e is the highest selling electric vehicle within Stellantis, and is coming to the United States and Canada in 2024.

Ample batteries are drop-in replacements for the original batteries; they can fit into any electric vehicle, according to the company. This means Stellantis would not need to re-engineer its platforms, but details are short; cars appear to  need to be modified to use the system. The stations can be set up in just three days.

When an Ample-enabled EV approaches the Ample station, the station recognize the car. The driver starts the battery swap from the mobile app, and the station provides a fully charged battery in less than five minutes.

This solution would help with range anxiety, particularly in the Fiat 500e, an excellent city car with a low 149-mile range.