Long charging times and an insufficient charging infrastructure have kept many people skeptical about electric car (EV) adoption, but technology start-ups are finding ways to make owning an EV more convenient and logical – including battery swapping and wireless EV charging.
Instead of constantly refilling the same battery, San Francisco-based Ample is focusing on swapping out depleted batteries for fresh ones at their drive-through stations. A driver pulls into a stall with a lift, and machinery removes the depleted pack and replaces it with a fully charged one in minutes. Ample says it will initially focus on taxi, delivery, and car-rental fleets before reaching out to regular consumers. Its tech is already being used by some Uber drivers in California.
The system requires outfitting an EV with one of the company’s modular, removable battery packs. To speed up adoption, Ample is seeking partnerships with automakers. US EV startup Fisker recently announced plans to offer Ample’s tech in 2024. Ample says its customers will buy a battery-less vehicle and pay a subscription price, potentially slashing upfront costs.
Israel’s Electreon has another technology aimed at speeding up the transition away from dirty fuels: “Electric roads” that wirelessly recharge vehicles while they’re moving or parked. The company says wireless charging will make insufficient charging infrastructure and limited driving range moot points. On a test track with its copper charging coils embedded in the asphalt, Electreon and a team of 55 drivers covered 1,207 miles, a feat unthinkable in a typical EV.
Source: Yahoo! News
