Perhaps one of the biggest problems with commercial EVs is when their batteries run out of juice, an unacceptable situation for any carrier. Without an established network of charging stations -- something the U.S. currently lacks on a nationwide scale -- range anxiety will continue to plague drivers and fleets.
But what about battery swapping, a popular method being used in China to replenish a depleted battery with a full charged one which takes about five minutes. Megawatt charging, to compare, takes nearly 20 minutes to fully recharge a Class 8 Tesla Semi, for example.
Clean Trucking learned more about battery swapping at this year's ACT Expo with our exclusive interview and video with Ohio-based Horizon Motors.
[Related: Swappable batteries? Horizon Motors wants to make it happen]
And now, per Electrek, Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), together with Yamato Transport and San Francisco-based startup Ample are teaming up for a new pilot project in Tokyo.
Following smaller pilot project in Kyoto last year, the plan calls for the deployment of over 150 battery-swappable commercial electric vehicles and 14 modular battery swapping stations placed in strategic locations across Tokyo beginning this September.
The project calls for MFTBC's eCanter light-duty truck and Mitsubishi's Minicab EV to begin service for commercial delivery fleets. Yamato Transport is set to be the first major customer and will concentrate on last mile deliveries. Ample will provide the must-have modular battery swapping technology and will also handle the installation and operation of the swapping stations.
According to the parties involved, the target goal is to complete battery swapping times in five minutes. How is this possible?
Ample modular battery swapping station workflow.Mitsubishi Fuso
For starters, Ample's battery swap tech is fully automated, meaning drivers don't have to exit the vehicles. The stations themselves have compact dimensions -- a major benefit in dense urban settings like Tokyo.
The consortium points out that a typical battery-electric light-duty truck requires about 10 hours with AC charging and a few hours with DC charging.
Ample has, to date, raised $270 million in venture capital and along with its financial health, proved during the Kyoto pilot program that its platform can operate simultaneously across different vehicle types and brands.
Japan has an ambitious climate goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 46% from 2013 levels by 2030, and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As of 2022, government officials state that the transportation sector accounted for an estimated 19% of the country's total C02.
MFTBC is pushing to have a fully carbon neutral Japanese market product portfolio by 2039.
