EV battery swapping: Peugeot & Jeep parent confirms trial program for Spain

Another electric car battery swapping program is in the works, announced just days after Volvo parent Geely revealed it will soon begin a trial in the Chinese market.

This latest announcement sees Stellantis – one of the world's largest carmakers with more than a dozen brands in its stable – kick off a partnership to test EV battery swapping in Spain.

"This technology has the potential to address customer infrastructure challenges such as charging time, range anxiety and battery wear," Stellantis says.

For its program, Stellantis has partnered with a Californian company called Ample, which already runs a specialised battery-swap program in San Francisco with specially converted vehicles – primarily the Fuso eCanter light truck.

In Spain, specifically Madrid, Stellantis will use a fleet of 100 Fiat 500e EVs, again modified to enable automated access to a new set of modular batteries compatible with Ample's system.

As with the Nio systems already operating in China, the vehicles will drive into an Ample station – which can be set up in just three days – where it will be raised above a platform for machines to replace the spent battery packs with however many fresh units are required.

“Our system knows how many batteries are in the Fiat 500e, knows how to extract each one of those modules, and put them back in the same arrangement,” Ample CEO Khaled Hassounah told The Verge and assembled media last week.

The video below shows the system in action.

The companies claim a battery swap can be achieved in "less than five minutes".

The program will begin in 2024, with a view to expanding to other parts of Europe if the trial is judged a success.

Whether this system can be easily launched into other segments and markets like Australia is unclear, although Ample claims its modular batteries are compatible with any EV – suggesting we could even see an aftermarket opportunity if carmakers themselves don't embrace the technology.

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