Charge anxiety — the fear or uncertainty of whether you will be able to find a charging station — remains a consistent hurdle to widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption. To combat the anxiety EV drivers feel during long journeys, the EV industry has seen more charging networks emerge over the past decade. At the same time, battery swapping has surfaced as a proposed solution to the industry’s woes, with companies such as Ample pursuing battery-swapping solutions.

Ample is not the first company to pursue battery swapping, however. In fact, Tesla Motors explored the concept in 2013, demonstrating the technology in the Model S, though they abandoned the idea to pursue their Supercharger network.

What is battery swapping?

Battery-swapping stations allow EV owners to replace their discharged batteries with fully charged ones that were previously stored and charged at the station in a matter of minutes. This sounds great in theory, as there is an abundance of EVs currently on the market. There are several advantages to this charging method, including taking up less time and expanding the range of an EV.

Battery swapping aims to match the convenience and speed of visiting a gas station. Still, some are skeptical, viewing it as just another expensive EV “charging” solution. But battery swapping could change the game for EVs by making long journeys more accessible.

Battery swapping also has considerable appeal from a sustainability lens. With battery swapping, the batteries can be charged more slowly and efficiently, and in a way, that reduces demand on the grid, as opposed to fast charging, which can degrade the battery much faster. However, the EV industry must factor in the efficient reuse and recycling of batteries in order to be sustainable.

As the electrification of our transportation infrastructure evolves, so does the need to modernize and build a climate-resilient grid. And as demand for electricity continues to grow nationally, we must build EV charging solutions specifically for the North American grid to offset some of the need for grid resources.

The issue of uniformity

Currently, every characteristic of an EV’s battery, from its shape to its location in the vehicle to its design, differs among automakers. Standardization is necessary for the commercial viability of battery swapping.

In previous years, China has implemented a battery-swapping system for EVs by mandating battery size and shape. This year, Chinese EV maker Nio Inc. began trial operations of faster, more efficient battery-swapping stations in China, further demonstrating battery swapping’s effectiveness in this region. Nio has performed 20 million battery swaps. With 60% of Nio’s users opting into the service, there is an opportunity in China to produce and lease the battery separately from the vehicle to solve the lack of current battery standardization.

However, not all battery-swapping efforts have been successful. Automotive manufacturer Geely’s Cao Cao 60 (an EV built for Cao Cao Auto’s ride-hailing service) dropped its entire battery pack while driving down the road. The company designed the Cao Cao 60 to have a swappable battery pack to limit charging time and optimize the time the vehicles could actively participate in the ride-hailing service, but it has its limits.

Though we are seeing a push toward charging uniformity in the U.S. — such as Ample building its own modular battery to combat the lack of EV standardization, with a $15 million grant from the California Energy Commission to expand its battery production facility outside of San Francisco — it is still a long way out from reality, and some pitfalls need to be kept in mind as production moves forward.

Why swap when you can charge?

Many automakers, including GM, Ford and Rivian, are adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS). At the same time, another group of seven automakers (such as BMW, GM, Honda, Kia and more) announced a new charging network that will allegedly rival and overtake Tesla’s Supercharger network. Though the methods differ, the goal is the same: uniformity across the EV industry — to the point that Honda has now also adopted NACS.

While large automakers battle over the correct route to take, other companies are looking to battery-swapping solutions as their saving grace. For instance, Mitsubishi Fuso and Ample announced a collaboration in July to begin a pilot project on battery-swapping technology for electric trucks in Japan, which will be tested on public roads this winter. With a “five-minute battery swap target,” the trucks could return to the road as quickly as a traditional gas-powered vehicle.

Ample’s “big sell” is that they will not have to set up a charging infrastructure at their vehicle storage facility. Setting up a charging infrastructure can be difficult and expensive, especially if a company has dozens of EVs in its fleet. However, at the same time, battery-swap companies would need to build costly swap stations — which could run roughly double the cost of an equivalent fast-charging station — as well as maintain the complicated machinery involved. Battery swapping still requires the batteries to be charged, so this isn't fundamentally solving the problem. While they could be slowly charged, that would still require energy and charging systems.

For battery swapping to work effectively, companies need the space, chargers and power to charge and manage the batteries that have been swapped. Vehicle batteries are heavy and expensive, and the machinery required to handle these swaps must have robust access to power to function. This system requires machines to carry them to and from vehicles that are being swapped, as well as sites to store and charge them safely, and that's a lot of added infrastructure to develop and continuously maintain

As we continue to search for alternative EV charging solutions, the industry must find more creative ways to create a capacity buffer for the modern electric grid. There is a common misconception that EV charging will only strain the electrical grid further. In reality, EV charging infrastructure can serve as a backup power bank for EV drivers, the community and local business operators. EV batteries can be easily attached to existing solar arrays, managing energy assets more effectively and providing more grid capacity. With more EVs on the road, the total amount of electricity will decrease. The key is finding a cost-effective way with batteries that allows us to have lighter cells, faster output and larger capacity.

What’s next for battery swapping?

Battery-swapping and charging station companies must work in tandem because, at the end of the day, both charging solutions are the means to an end. They both share the same goal: replacing gas-powered vehicles with something cleaner, quieter and more efficient. And a future where the two coexist could easily become a reality.

The cost associated with fleet electrification is an increasing challenge for organizations to begin the complete transition and maintenance of electrified operations, so pursuing battery-swapping solutions could help reduce the cost of EV fleet maintenance.

So, if you’re looking to power fleets of delivery trucks or taxis, battery swapping could be the route to take, especially in instances where stopping at a fast charger is a major inconvenience. But for the time being, plugging in is the way to go for the everyday EV driver.