Ample, Inc. the San Francisco-based electric vehicle (EV) battery-swapping company, has announced a deal with ENEOS Holdings, Inc. the largest oil company in Japan, to bring EV battery-swapping stations to the Asian region.
Battery swapping is already popular in China, with proponents like Nio and its partnership with Guotai Junan International Holdings Ltd., Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), and Hubei Science Technology Investment Group Co., Ltd. (HBSTI) to jointly boost the innovation and development of the “new energy vehicle” battery concept. The four partners are promoting the development of “car-and-battery separation,” launching a broader BaaS industry initiative that includes car-and-battery separation, battery rental, and other rechargeable services. For more, check out Futurride’s coverage: Nio looks to drive EV adoption with holistic Power system.
Ample is currently deploying regionally in California’s Bay Area, where the company is working with ride-sharing, last-mile delivery, and municipal fleet partners. It is partnering with Uber to electrify its fleet for drivers. The company says its goal is to make charging EVs as fast and as affordable as filling with gasoline. Here’s a video to see how it works.
With the Ample/ENEOS partnership, both companies aim to develop an energy delivery service for EVs that is quick, convenient, and at a low cost, just like supplying gasoline. To launch the swapping service that uses Ample’s automated robotic battery swapping technology, ENEOS plans to conduct an initial project involving several passenger-transport (taxis, etc.) and last-mile delivery companies within the fiscal year ending in March 2022 in Japan. It will also study using the swapping station as a large stationary battery contributing to the optimization of energy utilization and the ability to use the batteries as an emergency power source.
The ENEOS Group foresees a long-term global trend in which EVs become widespread. As stated in its Long-Term Vision to 2040, a goal is providing the next-generation energy supply and community services, and the Ample project is part of studying diversified EV-related businesses.
Ample is aiming to promote the spread of EVs by reducing time loss (required for charging) and implementation cost (capital expenditure for the charging infrastructure) associated with vehicle electrification. It currently provides an energy delivery service with battery swapping technology to transportation companies in the U.S., but the ENEOS deal marks the start of plans to start deploying internationally later within 2021. The service is consistent with the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goals of Affordable and Clean Energy; Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; and Responsible Consumption and Production.
Ample, co-founded by Khaled Hassounah, CEO, and John de Souza, President, announced in March—after seven years of quiet research and development—its “faster and cheaper” approach to delivering energy to EVs. It uses Modular Battery Swapping to deliver a full (100%) charge in under 10 min, which it says is three times faster than charging.
Unlike other systems tied to one brand, Ample claims its technology works with any electric vehicle and dramatically reduces the cost and time it takes to install EV infrastructure. The company says its rapid deployment approach makes it possible to equip an entire metropolitan area with a ubiquitous network in a matter of weeks while delivering energy at a cost as cheap as gasoline. It can also capture wind and solar power when it’s available, and then dispense that energy to EVs when needed.
Its technology has two major components: a fully autonomous swapping station and a modular battery architecture.
A swapping station removes depleted battery modules from vehicles and replaces them with fully charged ones. The depleted battery modules are placed on shelves where they are recharged. The station requires no construction and can be assembled wherever two parking spots are available, making it a convenient solution for a diversity of locations including grocery stores, gas stations, and highway rest stops.
The modular battery architecture allows for any EV to use Ample’s stations. Its batteries are made out of “Lego-like” modules that are said to accommodate any vehicle regardless of size or model.
“Ample’s modular batteries are a drop-in replacement for the OEM battery and do not require any modification to the car (either hardware or software),” elaborated de Souza to Futurride. “Ample does the work upfront to ensure that the modular battery is fully compatible with the vehicle. This allows the customers to buy an EV and opt for a swappable solution simply by selecting an Ample battery. The customer is then able to pull into an Ample station and have the modular batteries swapped. The stations are fully autonomous, so no staff is needed on-site. The machinery removes freshly charged modules from a shelf and then puts the depleted modules on the shelf, where they immediately start charging.”
Ample says it is working with a number of the world’s largest automakers to enable mass deployment in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
