Powerswap Develops Revolutionary Idea for Vehicle Charging

Powerswap AB, a Swedish start-up, has come up with a great idea to cut short the time needed for recharging electric vehicles. Their idea is using a robotic device to remove the depleted battery and replace it with a fully charged in just three minutes. 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. Sten Corfitsen, the founder of Powerswap that the company’s solution would transform the way in which motorists think about charging EVs.

Based on the concept, the company would use the petrol stations and refueling infrastructure that is already available. There would be thus no need to create completely new infrastructure exclusively for the purpose of using electric vehicles. Powersnap’s robotic snap units, when installed at petrol stations and parking lots will serve as a cost efficient alternative when it comes to ensuring a seamless transition to the era of electric cars.

Trials of earlier battery swap infrastructure involved building of new swap stations and acquisition of land. All these require significant investment. Powersnap’s units are a lot cheaper. Another advantage Power offers is that it handles the exchange of batteries from the side and this process is more viable when it comes to automation. From the time perspective, swapping the battery of an electric vehicle with the Powersnap robotic snap unit is even faster than filling the tank of a petrol vehicle. There will also be no need for building a charging infrastructure comprising thousands of public charging poles.

With batteries accounting for a considerable part of the cost of an EV, it would now be possible for a vehicle to be sold without the battery, thus leading to a lower cost than that of a fossil fuel car. The battery can be leased and can be upgraded as needed. Batteries also do not need to be recharged in haste and will get all the time they need for recharging. This will lower the peaks in demand and the stress on the grid.

Powerswap AB is a company that was spun off as a separate entity from Fuelmatics AB, the originator of completely automatic refuelling with liquid fuels. With the Powerswap battery swap system, vehicles benefit from cord-free “refuelling” of EVs in three minutes.

Powerswap is supported by the Swedish Energy Agency Energi-myndigheten, as part of its drive to help develop a more efficient infrastructure for electric vehicles. The company currently collaborates with Chinese battery manufacturers and OEMs.

Corfitsen expressed his confidence that the company’s product will lead to faster expansion for EVs. The first adopters of the new technology are likely to be taxi companies and other transportation fleets ad they do not have the time needed for prolonged charging. We have received a Letter of Intent from Taxi Stockholm, the biggest taxi company in Sweden.”