Waiting an age for your EV to charge is becoming a thing of the past.
A new battery-swapping station by San Francisco-based company Ample(opens in a new tab) can charge electric cars in as little as five minutes. When low on power, a driver can park their vehicle inside the station. Operated through an app, a platform lifts the vehicle to facilitate the mechanical swap. Once the batteries are charged and the driver is ready to go, the EV is brought back down to street level.
Several Ample stations have been deployed across the Bay Area, and the company has tested its swappable batteries with Uber and Sally drivers.
EV battery-swapping is gaining popularity globally, with Chinese company Nio as one of the most prominent examples.
While it looks like EV charging is about to get a whole lot quicker, waving goodbye to battery ownership comes with some logistic and quality concerns, and the technology will be competing with the rapidly improving fast charging stations. In any way, forget about having time to meditate while waiting for your car to charge.
