Mitsubishi Launches EV Battery Swap Network in Tokyo - for Both Cars and Trucks (electrek.co)
- Reference: 0178059271
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/06/15/2336200/mitsubishi-launches-ev-battery-swap-network-in-tokyo---for-both-cars-and-trucks
- Source link: https://electrek.co/2025/06/14/mitsubishi-debuts-ev-battery-swap-network-for-cars-and-trucks-in-tokyo/
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, [2]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 — [3]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 [4]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."
[1] https://electrek.co/2025/06/14/mitsubishi-debuts-ev-battery-swap-network-for-cars-and-trucks-in-tokyo/
[2] https://www.mitsubishi-fuso.com/en/news-main/press-release/2023/07/26/mitsubishi-fuso-and-ample-to-partner-on-battery-swapping-technology-for-electric-trucks/
[3] https://www.chademo.com/emergency-response-v2x
[4] https://electrek.co/2025/05/27/catls-100-second-swappable-ev-batteries-proves-china-ahead/
The problem with this... (Score:3)
Imagine buying a brand-new EV, where the battery is 3/4 the cost of the vehicle. Then you do this "battery swap" and get a *used* battery pack that's been god knows where.
This is a huge *no thank you*... I don't want your used battery pack in my new car.
Re: (Score:2)
Take that component out of your equation then. The value of the car should be separated from the value of the battery - for cars with swappable batteries that is - a new model needs to be applied where the battery is a fixed value and assumed to not depreciate as there should be a service that certifies a specific value at any given time - can vary form brand to brand - but the buyer should need to be buying the battery, they should be buying the car - and pay for battery swaps with a presumed value of the
Re: (Score:2)
The Mitsubishi service is a managed charging for the fleet of a local delivery company. The batteries that get swapped all belong to the same owner and presumably will get worn uniformly. I imagine the delivery company did not want to deal with the charging, asks Mitsubishi to take care, Mitsubishi makes up a battery swap solution which is less expensive than fast chargers for the whole fleet.
Re: (Score:2)
Not sure if your're repeating FUD or not. But, I hear the argument you refer to quite a lot. What I don't understand is why? This is an easily solvable problem - in fact. what if I told you your battery would always be "new"? Use the propane BBQ example: We have no problem buying a BBQ with a BRAND NEW propane tank(empty) only to take swap it for a full tank so that you can grill a few burgers. That tank you swapped for is not "NEW", but it is full, and it is certified safe and viable. It performs just
But not to solve the problem of range extension (Score:2)
I see this as a way of dealing with owner anxiety of an unexpected battery replacement expense, maybe a major maintenance done every 5 years and 80,000 miles, not something done on a daily basis.
Re: (Score:2)
Imagine leasing an EV and never having to worry about the battery wearing out. And being able to used these swap stations for an instant charge.
Re: The problem with this... (Score:1)
NIO and CATL have battery swap stations in China. You should take a look at some of the videos on YouTube. NIO does Battery as a service where you lease the battery.
Re: (Score:2)
"Has been God knows where" ?? ... Uh, I'm not an expert, but batteries aren't like underwear. You can't catch cooties from using someone else's.
Battery cooties (Score:2)
The condition of a battery can depend a lot on how it has been used-cycles, depth and rate of discharge, amount of fast DC charging, temperature conditions.
Re: (Score:2)
"Then you do this "battery swap" and get a *used* battery pack that's been god knows where. "
This is what ISO documentation standards are for.
A previous attempt didn't last long (Score:2)
" [1]Better Place [wikipedia.org] was a venture-backed international company that developed and sold battery charging and battery switching services for electric cars. It was formally based in Palo Alto, California, but the bulk of its planning and operations were steered from Israel .... The company opened its first functional charging station the first week of December 2008 at Cinema City in Pi-Glilot near Tel Aviv, Israel. The first customer deliveries of Renault Fluence Z.E. electric cars enabled with battery switching tec
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place_(company)
Such efforts usually or always fail (Score:2)
I've heard of many battery swap systems, especially from Tesla. As far as I know, none of them have worked out. The economic and technical issues are rough.
So this will go down in flames.
Re: (Score:2)
The economics indeed don't work out. The infrastructure costs are high, the battery costs are high, and you STILL need to build charging infrastructure anyway, in order to recharge the dropped off batteries.
With that factored in, what are you paying per swap? 3-4x what normal recharging would cost?
Besides, battery tech is improving daily. Increasingly seeing mentions of 5-6min recharge times.
Re: (Score:3)
There is almost no infrastructure required for this; It's a single building about the size of a small service center or car wash. In there is all the charging infrastructure you need, too.
The problems with battery swap are nothing related to what you mentioned. The real hurdles to mass adoption are questions about battery ownership, standardization, and to a lesser extend vehicle integration.
Since an EV is useless without a battery, laws in some countries (like the US) make selling an EV without a battery b
The Tesla Model Y (Score:2)
I always wondered about the Model Y making battery replacement as a long-term maintenance item nearly impossible. I think the justification were some strong claims from Tesla about their battery packs lasting longer than anyone would want to keep the car going, which seems optimistic.
Re: (Score:2)
I've had my current 'daily driver' for 23 years, I'm not sure Tesla's battery would keep going for that long.
Re: (Score:2)
Yep. You still have to charge those batteries, which means you have to get a lot of electricity in, which means you either locate by the power mains or you pay a ton to run a line. Plus storage. Plus the swapping station.
Re: (Score:2)
It's not just 14 stations, but also 150 battery-swapping electric vehicles. This could work in certain fleet applications and it sounds like that is their goal.
Re: (Score:2)
A dense city area for taxis and such is a good starting point. Cars cost 1/4 as much and have no battery at all. You join a "club" which spreads out the costs over it's network. More involved but not far from the charging networks you have to join today to use most every charging station. Some charge a monthly fee already. This would be a high cost initially; however, it would be spread out likely over a decade since many plans and loans are that long. As batteries get better the costs go down.
One could p
Use case for battery swap (Score:2)
I think the use case for battery swap is to support a kind of "power-by-the-hour" battery warranty akin to the arrangement airlines have with the jet-engine manufacturers.
If there was a way to replace the battery that didn't require hundreds of dollars in labor fees, an electric vehicle owner wouldn't have to worry about the unexpected expense of a battery wearing out. The motorist would "lease" the battery, essentially pay a subscription fee for the use of the battery, receiving a replacement when warr