Five-minute battery swap shops open in Madrid

Stellantis has partnered with battery technology company Ample to bring modular battery swapping to Madrid’s streets, aiming to revolutionise electric vehicle charging for car-sharing service Free2move through five-minute battery exchanges.

The rollout features a fleet of Fiat 500e vehicles equipped with Ample’s modular battery packs that can be swapped for fully charged units in under five minutes, eliminating traditional plug-in charging downtime while reducing operating costs and increasing vehicle availability.

The project began in the second half of 2024 with an initial fleet of 40 Fiat 500e vehicles, following successful homologation and early operational testing, with around 100 vehicles rolled out so far this year.