Robotic electric car battery swapping station unveiled — 5 minutes from empty to full
Ample has provided a first look at its second-generation robotic electric vehicle (EV) battery swapping station that can switch out batteries in about as long as it takes to refill a petrol or diesel car.
The San Francisco-based startup recently showcased the station to tech publication CNET.
The concept of EV battery swapping is nothing new and is already being publicly trialled by Taiwanese e-scooter company Gogoro.
The primary purpose of this approach is to eliminate the long time it takes to charge an EV compared to filling up a petrol or diesel car at a petrol station.
Ample’s new charging station features a drive-through design big enough for larger vehicles — like trucks — which drive onto an elevated platform flanked by two walls and covered with a roof.
The platform is lifted further to make more space for a fully-automated robotic system to carry out the swap underneath the car.
Drained batteries are stored and recharged at the station for swapping into other cars.
The video below shows how the swapping process works.
The station can swap a drained battery for a fully-charged one in about 5 minutes — faster than any EV can currently charge from 0–100%.
The latest 350kW DC chargers are expected to be capable of adding about 350km of range in 10 minutes, provided the EV is capable of supporting the maximum charging speed.
Ample co-founder John de Souza told CNET the company could make any EV compatible with any battery chemistry.
To facilitate this, the company has built an interface tray about the same size as an EV battery.
The tray contains Lego-like battery modules with non-proprietary cells that can be made to fit any model or driving profile.
Parts of the Ample station’s robot swapping out an EV battery
Electric vehicle battery being stored for recharging in the Ample Station
Electric vehicle manufacturers will have to support the interface tray on their cars to use the swapping tech.
However, doing so will not require cars to be redesigned, Ample said, with the interface tray acting as a simple drop-in replacement.
One company that already plans to use the technology is Fisker, which makes the Ocean electric SUV.
Ample plans to roll out its first swapping stations in San Francisco, Kyoto, and Madrid.
The company claims its stations are 3–10 times cheaper to roll out than a fast-charging station.
As a result, the company can deliver energy at cost 10–20% cheaper than petrol.
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