African Petrochemicals Nov/Dec Edition 14.6 {2017}

“REFUELING” OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES
IN “NO TIME”. POWERSWAP REVEALS
NEWS OF THEIR RADICAL SOLUTION FOR
CHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
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:
www.powerswap.se
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