Mitsubishi Launches EV Battery Swap Network in Tokyo - for Both Cars and Trucks

In Tokyo Mitsubishi is deploying 'an innovative new battery swap network for electric cars' in a multi-year test program reports the EV news site Electrek.

But it's not just for electric cars. Along with the 14 modular battery swapping stations, Mitsubishi is also deploying 'more than 150 battery-swappable commercial electric vehicles' from truck maker Fuso:

A truck like the Mitsubishi eCanter typically requires a full night of AC charging to top off its batteries, and at least an hour or two on DC charging in Japan, according to Fuso. This joint pilot by Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks, and [EV battery swap specialist] Ample aims to circumvent this issue of forced downtime with its swappable batteries, supporting vehicle uptime by delivering a full charge within minutes.

The move is meant to encourage the transport industry's EV shift while creating a depository of stored energy that can be deployed to the grid in the event of a natural disaster — something Mitsubishi in Japan has been working on for years.
The article's author also adds their own opinion about battery-swapping technology. 'When you see how simple it is to add hundreds of miles of driving in just 100 seconds — quicker, in many cases, than pumping a tank of liquid fuel into an ICE-powered car — you might come around, yourself.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.