Ample is a San Francisco-based startup that develops battery swapping technology and stations for electric vehicles.

Ample Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryElectric vehicles
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
FounderKhaled Hassounah, John de Souza
Headquarters
Area served
San Francisco Bay Area
ServicesBattery swapping

History

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Ample was founded in 2014. In 2021, they raised $160 million in a Series C funding round.[1]

Technology

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The company operates drive-in stations in the San Francisco Bay Area which robotically swap out vehicle batteries,[2] servicing vehicles including the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter electric truck.

Ample produces modular batteries which replace vehicles' original batteries.[3] Sources compare Ample's business model to previous failed battery swapping startup Better Place, noting that Ample produces "standard, swappable batteries under the belly of any car without its manufacturer having to engineer vehicles around them".[4][5]

The firm is working with automakers, including Fisker[6] and Stellantis,[7] to adapt battery swapping technology to different vehicle types and to be able to option vehicles with replaceable batteries.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Lienert, Paul (20 August 2021). "Electric vehicle battery startup Ample raises $160 million". Reuters.
  2. ^ Steinberg, Don (21 June 2023). "Ample: 2023 TIME100 Most Influential Companies". Time.
  3. ^ Muller, Joann (18 May 2023). "Electric car battery swapping gets a reboot". Axios.
  4. ^ Cooley, Brian (12 March 2022). "A New Take on Swapping Out Electric Car Batteries, From Startup Ample". CNET.
  5. ^ Shieber, Jonathan (3 March 2021). "From the ashes of nearly a billion dollars, Ample resurrects Better Place's battery swapping business model". TechCrunch.
  6. ^ Roberto, Baldwin (27 Jul 2023). "Why charge an EV when you can just swap its battery?". The Verge.
  7. ^ Hawkins, Andrew (7 December 2023). "Stellantis makes a big bet on EV battery swapping in new deal with Ample". The Verge.
  8. ^ Bellan, Rebecca (28 December 2022). "Ample's co-founder explains what it takes to scale EV battery swapping". TechCrunch.