The Californian-based company, Fisker has said that they plan to introduce swappable batteries in their cars from as early as 2024
Fisker, the company behind the new Tesla Model Y beating 440-mile range ‘Ocean’ SUV has said that they plan on releasing swappable batteries next year, using the start up company, Ample to supply them.
We know that the idea of swapping batteries is not new, and it was once heralded as the be-all-end-all of EV range anxiety and concerns over charging speeds. Tesla even tried it 10 years ago with their Model S, but after building just one swapping station, the project was scrapped. Chinese company, Nio, has seen some success with their stations and plans to roll them out in Europe when sales permit.
However, Ample, who are also based in California aim to succeed where others have evidently failed. Their plan is to use a single, modular battery that can be used on other EV manufacturers. A great idea in principle, but it requires all of the other car makers to get behind the technology as well – which might be much easier said than done.
After 7 years of development though, Ample unveiled the architecture and swapping stations it plans to use in 2021. They have been working on Nissan Leaf’s and have had good success with them. However, the Leaf uses air-cooled batteries, whereas the Fisker uses liquid-cooled ones – as is now the norm. The challenge for them will be adapting their technology to suit.
Private individuals won’t be able to get their hands on a Fisker Ocean that does it just yet, as the technology will first be tried on fleet vehicles, which seems understandable.
There has been some criticism around the idea of battery swapping before, mainly stating that you as the owner of the car, don’t own the battery inside it. However, whilst that is true, it also means you don’t have to pay for it when it goes wrong – something that puts many people off EVs.
What do you think, is this the answer to the problems that electric vehicles face?