Ample EV Battery Swapping Expands to Japan and NYC

Ample Expands Battery Swapping Network with Key Partnerships

EV battery swapping technology firm, Ample, has secured two significant partnerships this month. These collaborations are poised to facilitate the company’s expansion into both Japan and New York City, following years dedicated to refining its innovative technology.

Partnership with Eneos in Japan

Founded in 2014 and emerging from stealth mode in March, Ample announced a partnership with Japanese petroleum and energy company Eneos on Tuesday. The two entities will collaboratively deploy and manage battery swapping infrastructure throughout Japan.

Over the coming year, a pilot program will be initiated, focusing on integrating Ample’s automated swapping technology with ride-hailing services, taxi fleets, municipal vehicles, rental cars, and last-mile delivery operations. Furthermore, Ample and Eneos will investigate the potential for swapping stations to function as a supplementary power source for the electrical grid.

While details remain limited at this stage, the collaboration with Eneos demonstrates growing confidence in battery swapping, particularly for Ample’s approach to the technology.

Expansion into New York City with Sally

This announcement follows closely on the heels of a separate partnership between Ample and Sally, a New York City-based EV rental provider catering to ride-hailing, taxi, and last-mile delivery sectors.

According to Khaled Hassounah, founder and CEO of Ample, five to ten stations are planned for deployment in NYC by the fourth quarter of this year, with further expansion into other markets anticipated in 2021.

The partnership with Sally will also extend to San Francisco in the near future. This could prove beneficial for ride-hailing drivers in California, considering the state mandate requiring 90% of Uber and Lyft drivers to operate EVs by 2030.

The Vision: Ubiquitous Swapping Stations

“The goal is to ultimately make swapping stations as ubiquitous as gas stations,” Hassounah stated in an interview with TechCrunch.

Ample initially launched with five operational stations in the Bay Area and a partnership with Uber, allowing drivers to rent vehicles equipped with the startup’s retrofitted battery technology.

How Ample’s Technology Works

“The Ample architecture is designed to be integrated into any modern electric vehicle,” explained Levi Tillemann, VP for policy and international outreach at Ample. “Instead of a permanently fixed battery pack, the Ample system utilizes an adapter plate with dimensions matching the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) battery pack. This allows for seamless battery swaps.”

Ample’s standardized battery modules are compatible with any vehicle configured for the Ample platform. The company is transitioning from operating its own fleet – initially launched to validate its business model – to collaborating with fleet and rental companies like Sally to enable existing vehicles with Ample’s technology.

“Ample’s battery swapping works with any electric vehicle and dramatically reduces the cost and time it takes to install EV infrastructure by being a drop-in replacement for the OEM battery and does not require any modification to the car (either hardware or software),” Hassounah added.

Addressing Charging Concerns for Ride-Hailing Drivers

A significant deterrent for ride-hailing drivers considering EVs is the lengthy battery charging time. Ample addresses this concern by offering battery swaps in just 10 minutes, with a target reduction to five minutes by year-end. A faster, more streamlined process could encourage wider EV adoption among drivers and logistics companies.

Cost and Efficiency

Currently, drivers pay 10 cents per mile for swapping services, encompassing both energy costs and range, which varies based on the vehicle model and battery size. Ample aims to maintain a service price 10% to 20% lower than gasoline costs.

Drivers can locate nearby stations and initiate autonomous swaps through Ample’s mobile application. Each station currently serves approximately five to six cars per hour, with expectations to double that capacity by the end of the year, contingent on available power supply.

Future Plans and OEM Integration

Tillemann envisions Ample collaborating with established OEM partners to offer consumers the option of having Ample production plates installed directly into new vehicles during the manufacturing process.

“Our unit costs are very favorable for the battery swap systems,” he noted. “Deployment costs are low, making our battery swap architecture economical and profitable even with a relatively small number of vehicles.”

Eneos’ Broader Energy Vision

Eneos, which has previously invested in Ample, is dedicated to providing next-generation energy solutions. The company is also actively exploring hydrogen technology and has partnered with Toyota’s Woven City, a futuristic urban development in Japan, to power the city using hydrogen.