Stellantis and Ample Team Up To Reshape the Future of the World's EV Infrastructure

Let's face it; there are countless problems we can find about driving around in an electric car. But, one of the most prominent issues anyone except Tesla owners will complain about is long recharge times and waits, at least in countries where EV infrastructure is still taking off.

This is where battery-swapping technology comes in, consisting of modified vehicles and batteries with one or more modules that can be replaced in a fraction of the time that it would take to sit around at the good old volt meter.

Well, earlier this year, the world got word of Ample and their newest swap stations. What makes their work so attractive is the fact that you and your EV can be in and out of a charging station in just five minutes, half the time their previous stations could achieve! No more sitting at a proverbial pump for up to an hour or more. Moreover, Ample's second-generation setup takes only three days to put into use, down to a fraction of the time its previous stations used to take to complete: "weeks."

All this apparently sounds just like the sort of stuff that Stellantis wants on their side because starting with 2024, Madrid, Spain, will be hosting the first fleet of 100 Fiat 500e models with Ample's battery-swapping tech at the center of functionality. These vehicles are part of Stellantis' Free2Move car-sharing program.

If you haven't heard of this service, you'll need to travel to Washington, DC, Paris, or Madrid to experience it. The idea is just like any other car-sharing program, and the Peugeot E208, Fiat 500e, and Jeep Renegade are the workhorses behind the fleet.

Moreover, Ample's battery tech brings a benefit that's not to be overlooked: its modular batteries. These packs have been designed in such a way as to "fit into any vehicle," so it means that Stellantis won't need to modify its existing vehicle platforms, a massive win in any automaker's book, if you ask me.

Exploring Ample's plans and tech, I also discovered that the vehicle can be equipped with a varying number of battery packs, depending on the driving needs of the individual using the vehicle. In layman's terms, let's say a compact car can accommodate ten battery packs from Ample, but you only typically need around six to complete your daily driving needs: load up your vehicle with just six modules, and that's that. Fewer modules also mean shorter swapping times.

Why such a move by Stellantis? Well, Ricardo Stamatti, Stellantis Senior Vice President of Charging & Energy Business Unit, puts things like this, “The partnership with Ample is another example of how Stellantis is exploring all avenues that enable freedom of mobility for our electric vehicle customers.”

As for Ample's relative future, it's secured with a plan that's bound to bring their stations and unique batteries to more vehicles and cities around the world, especially if this whole Madrid bit takes off. Considering that Free2Move's fleet will now be recharging in five minutes, it means that their Fiat 500e fleet will be in constant motion: more cash flow, so it's a win-win there.

Is this move meant to go hand in hand with Stellantis' aim to achieve carbon net zero by 2038? Or is it part of their Dare Forward 2030 plan, a focus on doubling the auto conglomerate's net revenue by 2030? Well, yes, it is actually part of both: Stellantis announced in a press release that they're aiming for a 100% passenger car battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe by the end of 2030 and a 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States, too, by the same date.

Now, all this sounds nice and all, but what does it mean for future EV owners? Well, let's say that this whole Ample and Stellantis venture is a home run. This would mean future integration into more than just the Free2Move fleet; it would be complete integration of Ample's systems into all that Stellantis has to offer. Is this the plan? It kind of looks like it.

According to a recent press release, the two companies are examining the expansion and application of Ample's tech with the aim of meeting "Stellantis fleet and consumer demand across other Stellantis platforms and geographies."

This means that future EV owners of a brand from under Stellantis' umbrella could opt for a different charging experience, one that doesn't have us sitting around for "upwards of 10-12 hours, or 25% of a work week."

But, what about "range anxiety?" what about it? Considering an Ample swapping station can be set up in just a few days, expanding this infrastructure should be a lot simpler and quicker than it has been in the past.

At the end of the day, Ample isn't the only notable team chasing the battery-swap dragon; notable names include CATL and NIO. The latter of which can swap a fully charged battery in just three minutes (Power Swap 3.0). Why didn't Stellantis choose one of these other crews for this venture? If I knew the answer to that, I'd be running some multinational corporation instead of sharing the news.