A startup called Ample is working with Fisker to create battery exchange stations for EVs that would rival traditional gas stations in speed and convenience. They can be constructed quickly and may be a better use of taxpayer dollars going toward infrastructure were it not for one thing: A lack of standardization in the EV world.
The automotive industry has standardized many things in the name of safety and service. Many things, like spark plugs, are interchangeable between manufacturers, most supplied by third-party manufacturers supplying the industry. Many things are still proprietary. Why not make batteries interchangeable and boost EV adoption through something easily replaceable?
Battery exchange isn’t necessarily a new idea, but now Ample is working on proof of concept. We think this could be a great way to remove barriers of entry and many concerns people have about EVs. What do you think?
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Enjoying the relaunched show guys.
I found your enthusiasm for battery standardization and swapping to be both welcomed and surprising.
I think standardization is possible but not inevitable. Early Tesla Model S packs are popular in the EV conversion aftermarket because they are modular. However Tesla has moved to a monolithic, non-disassemble-able design for Model 3, which discourages standardization. I think battery technology needs to mature more before we “lock in” a design standard. But I do hope one emerges.
As for swapping… This surprised me due to your rural focus. Having EV roadtripped across Nebraska, as an example, I cannot see a financially viable case for constructing swap stations throughout the vast rural areas of North America. Even if every EV from every manufacturer used the same battery. Sure, it would be similar to gas station model, but it took 25+ years at the beginning of the 1900’s before gas was available in remote areas. And range of a tank of gas is still double what current, state of the art EV range is, so gas stations can be further apart.
Larry, good to hear from you and you make valid points. Because these swap stations can be constructed so quickly, they could be deployed rapidly, strategically and, with regard to the grid, in locations that could offer less impact and could refresh the batteries “off-peak” through out the highways and byways of America. I’m just excited about the concept as it is a positive way to tear down concerns of people that are hesitant to looking past that gas pump mentality.
Thanks for listening and contributing.