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.
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.
