Ample, a San Francisco-based provider of battery swapping technology for electric vehicles, announced on Wednesday it has completed the deployment of its first stations in Madrid.
The Spanish Government selected Ample as the first to receive the Moves Singulares award, an initiative that funds innovative technologies to accelerate the adoption of EVs in Spain.
Ample has secured €9.76 million in funding to support the installation of multiple modular battery-swapping stations in Madrid — which leads EV adoption in the country.
The company’s battery-swapping technology is designed to be compatible with any EV model.
It can fully charge an electric vehicle in just five minutes by quickly replacing the depleted battery with a fully charged one.
The modular architecture means that stations can be installed “in just three days,” according to Ample.
Spain is targeting a 65% reduction in emissions by 2030. The country also aims to have 5.5 million EVs on the road by the end of the decade.
According to data from the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC), 39,618 electric vehicles were sold in the country from January 1 to May 31.
Out of a total of 581,307 vehicles across all powertrains, EVs had a market share of 6.8%. Hybrid models (HEV), including plug-in hybrids (PHEV), amounted to 44,363 units — a share of 7.6%.
In 2021, California-based Ample announced a partnership with Uber to offer battery swapping services to Uber drivers in its home state and planned to expand the service in Europe.
Ample partnered with the Stellantis Group back in late 2023, aiming to develop battery swapping technology.
The collaboration included the launch of a car-sharing service in Madrid — which will be provided by a fleet of 100 swappable Fiat 500e’s.
The company is also present in Japan.
Ample announced it has built a battery swap network in the country’s capital, in collaboration with brands Mitsubishi and Yamato, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Nio Battery Swap
The battery swap systems are gaining traction in the old continent, mainly due to the Chinese EV maker Nio which has installed some dozens since 2021.
The brand has about 60 stations across its five European markets, one in the UAE and over 3,300 in China.
In late April, EV exclusively reported that Nio Power’s European expansion plans were impacted by investment cuts.
By then, the brand operated 59 battery swap stations across its five European markets.
