Venture-backed international company Better Place was famous for attempting to pioneer battery-swapping technology in electric vehicles (EVs). The company went bankrupt in 2013 and its fate might cast a dim verdict on the viability of battery swapping.
However, nearly a decade later and the technology has made significant progress. Could battery swapping be back on the agenda after all?
Better Place may have failed in its attempt to make battery-swapping technology commercially viable, but this experience didn’t put others off entirely. The idea has always worked well in theory and now there are many projects around the world where it is being put into action.
From a sustainability perspective, battery swapping has considerable appeal. Fast charging degrades the battery at a much faster rate, leading to additional e-waste. With battery swapping, the batteries can be charged more slowly and efficiently and at a time that reduces demand on the grid. The...