“Refueling” of electric vehicles in “no time”.
Powerswap AB, a Swedish start-up, has revealed news of their radical solution for charging electric vehicles. Instead of connecting the cord and waiting for the car to be charged, the battery is replaced with the help of a robotic device in three minutes. “Our solution is in many ways revolutionary and will change the way we think about EV charging,” says Sten Corfitsen, founder of Powerswap.
The technical concept was created with the goal of using the already well-established refuelling infrastructure, petrol stations. “It is better if we do not have to establish a completely new infrastructure just because we want to use EVs instead of fossil fuel cars. By installing robotic swap units at petrol stations and parking lots, we will gain a cost-efficient solution for the transition to a dominant electric transport sector.”
Powerswap is very different from earlier battery swap trials, which have been based on building new swap stations and which are expensive and require new land. Another difference is that Powerswap handles the swap of batteries from the side, which is more optimal when it comes to automation.
“I am confident we have created something that will lead to faster expansion for EVs. Taxi companies and other transportation fleets are suitable niches for our introduction because their operations have no time available for prolonged charging. We have received a Letter of Intent from Taxi Stockholm, the biggest taxi company in Sweden.” In short, the advantages of automatic battery swap are:
No time needed for charging; faster than filling a petrol car.
The car is not out of use during “refuelling” (charging).
The EV can be sold without the battery, which will make the price of an EV less than that of a fossil fuel car. The battery will be leased and can be renewed when enhanced technology is available.
An infrastructure will be built without the need for hundreds of thousands of public charging poles.
The stress on the battery is significantly reduced. We give batteries a suitable amount of time for charging, which lowers the peaks in demand and the stress on the grid.
Powerswap AB is a spin-off from Fuelmatics AB, the originator of completely automatic refuelling with liquid fuels. The Powerswap battery swap system offers cord-free “refuelling” of EVs in three minutes. Powerswap is supported by the Swedish Energy Agency, Energi-myndigheten, with the goal of enabling a more efficient infrastructure for electric vehicles. The company collaborates with Chinese battery manufacturers and OEMs.
For more information, go to www.powerswap.se or for a crowdfunding opportunity visit www.fundedbyme.com.
