• Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is collaborating with battery swap station startup Ample to test eCanter trucks converted to this battery pack format.
• Ample is one of the few companies developing battery packs for electric vehicles that can be swapped by robots within minutes at specially constructed stations, providing an alternative to charging.
• After battery swapping stations were hardly used as a technology in the automotive sector for years, they are now also attracting interest from car manufacturers.

In a short period of time, Nio has expanded its network of battery swapping stations not only in China but also in Europe, bringing this once-neglected technology to the forefront of electric vehicle development. A handful of other companies have followed suit, most notably Ample, which recently partnered with Stellantis to offer battery swapping in the Fiat 500e.

But are battery swap stations for electric trucks just as promising?

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is collaborating with Ample in Kyoto, Japan, for a pilot project in which the electric Mitsubishi eCanter operated by Yamato Transport Co. will utilize battery swapping stations.

As with cars, the process is fully automated. The eCanter can drive into a station such as a car wash and then robots change the batteries within a target time of five minutes.

“The ability to swap the battery of electric trucks would further expand the use cases of electric trucks by addressing range concerns, expanding the range of applications and significantly reducing vehicle downtime. In addition, the introduction of the latest swappable batteries will allow users to always have access to the most up-to-date battery technology as technology advances,” the automaker says.

As part of this pilot project with Ample and Yamato, the truck manufacturer will explore a complete business model for trucks with battery swapping functionality and intends to commercialize this technology in production models.

Just five years ago, battery swapping stations seemed to be an evolutionary dead end in electric vehicle development, with complex and expensive stations essentially competing with DC fast chargers. The infrastructure requirements alone seemed to require a huge commitment of resources, especially at a time when faster charging and battery technology promised to overtake them.

However, as Nio and Ample have shown, such stations are not necessarily need Fast charging technology of any kind, as batteries can be charged at a much lower rate over a day or two if required. This can reduce the strain on the grid as the station can charge a number of batteries at a lower rate and at times of its choosing, also extending battery life.

Currently, Mitsubishi and Ample only want to introduce this technology in Japan, but as Nio has shown with its passenger car models, the demand for this convenience is also present elsewhere.

“By observing these processes, MFTBC and the other companies involved will understand the benefits and challenges of battery swapping and explore the scalability of the technology for future practical use in Japan,” says Mitsubishi.

The truck fleets that could benefit from this technology may not be able to invest in their own fast-charging infrastructure. This could ultimately make this type of electric truck more accessible to companies that are wary of infrastructure costs. However, for this to happen, there would first need to be sufficient geographical coverage of battery swapping stations in Japan.

Currently, this technology faces the same chicken-and-egg problem as hydrogen cars: there are not enough hydrogen cars because there are not enough filling stations, and there are not enough filling stations because people are not buying enough hydrogen cars.

will Battery exchange stations Will this technology take off in North America or is it likely to remain popular in Asia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and rather than seeking something reliable and comfortable for his personal use, he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the reliability spectrum. Although he has been haunted by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow managed to avoid owning a Citroën, considering them too mundane, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.