Electric car manufacturer Fisker is teaming up with US battery exchange start-up Ample to offer its debut model, the Fisker Ocean, with replaceable batteries. The joint development is already underway, and the goal is to have the first Fisker Ocean with a battery swap system available by the first quarter of 2024.
The Fisker Ocean recently received sales approval for Europe, and the first models will be delivered soon, but they will not yet have the exchangeable battery. However, the partnership with Ample will broaden the vehicle use case for Fisker’s customers, according to Henrik Fisker, chairman and CEO of Fisker Inc. The innovative battery-swapping system will bring a new level of affordability to the Fisker Ocean and potentially to other vehicles that the company plans to bring to market in the future.
See also: Fisker showed off the Fisker Ocean software
The primary targets for this offer are fleet customers in the US and Europe, as the electric vehicles could be supplied with energy just as quickly as combustion models at petrol stations. This could enable Fisker to offer its vehicles faster and in more markets, as infrastructure could be provided more quickly than with a proprietary system from Fisker with an exclusive infrastructure.
Ample’s battery swap system is based on autonomous robotics and smart battery technology that can restore a full battery to an electric car within minutes. The company announced that its solution could be installed in an entire city within six weeks when test stations were installed in Japan and New York in 2021.
See also: Fisker’s Ocean All-Electric SUV Takes the Lead in Range and Features, Configurator Now Open
Fisker and Ample intend to share the revenue associated with the battery-swapping tech. However, it is not mentioned how the expenses will be distributed on the way to possible revenues. Overall, this partnership could revolutionize electric vehicle charging and make it more accessible to a wider range of customers.
