Battery Swapping Stations: The Key for Faster EV Charging

Published 01 June 2023

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2 min read

In 2022, electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 14% of all new cars sold worldwide, and their sales are predicted to grow 35% this year (IEA, 2023). Due to the fast-growing market – alongside climate legislation, such as Europe’s Fit for 55 and the US Inflation Reduction Act – EV innovators are racing to implement next-gen charging solutions.

Ample: Californian start-up Ample introduced its battery swapping station, which reduces the time required to get an EV ready for driving to just five minutes – compared with the half an hour required by public fast chargers. Its modular battery packs can be integrated into EVs of any size and type.

When their batteries are empty, EV owners can park their vehicles at battery swapping stations and initiate a battery change through the Ample app. An automated device replaces the depleted battery pack with a fully charged one. Ample’s initial focus is on swapping stations for delivery vehicles and public transport.

Nio: Chinese EV company Nio already offers battery swapping for its six EV models in China and Europe. Globally, 60% of Nio drivers use its Power Swap Stations, and in Norway, 95% of customers opt for battery swaps instead of traditional charging methods (Nio, 2023). Nio is creating 1,000 more battery swapping stations in China and another 70 in Europe this year.

Forks in the Road: Despite their speed, building and maintaining swapping stations is costly (roughly double the cost of fast-charging EV stations), as Gil Tal, director of the Plug-In Hybrid and EV Research Center at the University of California, Davis, points out. Nio plans to charge a monthly fee to finance its swapping stations.

For more, see Ride the New Eco-Roadways and Democratising Affordable Design

Ample: Californian start-up Ample introduced its battery swapping station, which reduces the time required to get an EV ready for driving to just five minutes – compared with the half an hour required by public fast chargers. Its modular battery packs can be integrated into EVs of any size and type.

When their batteries are empty, EV owners can park their vehicles at battery swapping stations and initiate a battery change through the Ample app. An automated device replaces the depleted battery pack with a fully charged one. Ample’s initial focus is on swapping stations for delivery vehicles and public transport.

Nio: Chinese EV company Nio already offers battery swapping for its six EV models in China and Europe. Globally, 60% of Nio drivers use its Power Swap Stations, and in Norway, 95% of customers opt for battery swaps instead of traditional charging methods (Nio, 2023). Nio is creating 1,000 more battery swapping stations in China and another 70 in Europe this year.

Forks in the Road: Despite their speed, building and maintaining swapping stations is costly (roughly double the cost of fast-charging EV stations), as Gil Tal, director of the Plug-In Hybrid and EV Research Center at the University of California, Davis, points out. Nio plans to charge a monthly fee to finance its swapping stations.

For more, see Ride the New Eco-Roadways and Democratising Affordable Design