Stellantis is trialling battery-swapping technology with the Fiat 500e in a bid to offer full EV recharging in just five minutes.
If the trial is successful, this could eliminate one of the biggest barriers to EV ownership: charging time.
Currently taking place in Madrid, the trial involves a small fleet of 40 500es that have been adapted to use a pack (of unspecified size) from battery-swapping firm Ample.
The fleet is operated by Stellantis-owned car-sharing firm Free2Move and being driven by users in the city.
The cars are currently serviced by a single battery-swapping station, but more are planned to be created in the city as part of the trial, which has been supported by a €9.8 million (£8.2m) grant from the Spanish government.
What’s more, Stellantis plans to expand the fleet to 100 cars in the coming months.
If the trial is successful, the technology will be offered to private customers, promised Fiat CEO Olivier François.
“We are dedicated to thoroughly testing and analysing this concept in real-world conditions and aiming to expand it to private customers soon,” he said.
“That is why we believe deeply in this project and have chosen our iconic Fiat 500 to spearhead the initiative.
“It will provide invaluable insights for both our brand and the group as we shape the future of mobility.”
It’s unclear if the trial will be expanded to other Stellantis EVs, given that the 500e is based on a bespoke platform and not the e-CMP EV platform used by Citroën, Peugeot, Vauxhall et al.
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