Stellantis Launches Battery Swap Technology in Madrid with Ample

According to reports from foreign media, Stellantis is partnering with American tech company Ample through its car-sharing service platform Free2move to launch battery swap technology in Madrid, Spain. The initiative aims to attract consumers by providing a faster alternative to charging. Five battery swap stations have been established in Madrid to serve 40 Fiat 500e vehicles within the Free2move car-sharing platform. The Ample swap stations can complete a battery swap in just 5 minutes, and Free2move drivers can locate nearby stations using a mobile app. John de Souza, president and co-founder of Ample, revealed to Automotive News Europe that after receiving €9.8 million in funding from the Spanish government, Ample plans to add several more battery swap stations in Madrid over the coming months and expand its fleet to 100 Fiat 500e cars. He also mentioned that the company will soon open more swap stations in other cities in Spain and across Europe, although he did not disclose specific numbers or locations. However, he confirmed that Ample will set up a swap station in Tokyo, Japan in the fourth quarter of this year. John de Souza added that, aside from Stellantis, Ample is also collaborating with Mitsubishi Motors and Daimler Trucks. The battery swap technology allows drivers to quickly replace depleted batteries with fully charged ones, significantly reducing the wait time compared to traditional charging, which typically takes 20 to 30 minutes to charge a battery to 80%. Compared to Europe, China's battery swap technology shows more significant advantages in commercialization and industrial ecosystem development. John de Souza predicts that by 2030, battery swapping will account for one-third of electric vehicle charging methods in China. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Nio has made battery swapping one of its unique selling points, having established over 3,000 swap stations in China and more than 50 in Europe. The world's largest battery manufacturer, CATL, is collaborating with Nio to invest 2.5 billion yuan in building a battery swapping network in China. In December last year, CATL launched two standardized battery swap products that enable electric vehicles to complete a battery swap in 100 seconds.