STELLANTIS: A NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR EVs BATTERY EXCHANGE

By Piero Facchin

Stellantis recently announced a partnership with San Francisco-based Ample (www.ample.com), which will offer electric vehicle drivers the possibility to obtain a fully charged battery in less than five minutes.

The two companies will work to integrate Ample’s modular battery exchange solution into Stellantis EVs. Ample’s exchange strategy allows a customer to visit an exchange station to replace a depleted battery with a fully charged one in a matter of minutes.

“The partnership with Ample is another example of how Stellantis is exploring all avenues enabling freedom of mobility for our electric vehicle customers,” said Ricardo Stamatti, senior vice president of Stellantis’ charge and energy business unit.

“In addition to the other projects we are focusing on, Ample’s modular battery exchange solution is an opportunity to offer our customers greater energy efficiency, outstanding performance and reduced range anxiety. We look forward to implementing the initial program with our brilliant Fiat 500e.”

The initial program will begin in Madrid, Spain, in 2024, using a fleet of 100 Fiat 500e cars within Stellantis’ Free2move car-sharing service. The Fiat 500e is the best-selling electric vehicle within Stellantis, and the company will extend its offer to North America in early 2024.

The companies are also studying the extension of the exchange application to the Stellantis fleet and to other platforms around the world.

When a vehicle approaches a station, it is recognized. Once parked inside, the driver uses a mobile app to initiate the exchange and receives a fully charged battery in less than five minutes.

Ample’s battery technology will be made available to EV customers on a subscription basis. The companies claim that this will reduce the total initial cost of the vehicle and enable the customer to benefit from the latest battery technology at all times, thereby increasing the vehicle’s range and lifespan.

The agreement will also help improve the availability of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The light weight of Ample’s battery exchange stations makes them easily upgradeable, and they can be installed in public spaces in as little as three days.