Mitsubishi and Ample launch truck battery swap service in Japan

Mitsubishi Motors, in cooperation with technology company Ample and logistics giant Yamato Transport, has officially launched an innovative battery swap network service in Japan, covering general electric vehicles and electric commercial vehicles. This technology can replenish hundreds of kilometers of battery life for vehicles in just 100 seconds, completely subverting the traditional charging mode. At the same time, Mitsubishi will deploy more than 150 battery-swappable electric commercial vehicles and 14 modular battery swap stations in Tokyo through a multi-year pilot project to demonstrate its "5-minute charging" technology to logistics companies and accelerate the layout of terminal logistics electrification.

In a specific case, taking the Mitsubishi eCanter light truck as an example, it takes a whole night to charge with AC power, and DC fast charging also takes 1-2 hours; the battery swap solution can restore full power in a few minutes, greatly reducing downtime and improving attendance efficiency. In addition, the technology can also build energy storage infrastructure to provide emergency power support in natural disasters, which is in line with Mitsubishi's long-term strategy in the Japanese market. It is worth noting that Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus recently merged with Hino Motors to form a new holding company, integrating resources to strengthen the synergy of electrification, laying the foundation for this pilot.

The project has received policy support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and Yamato Transport has directly participated in the test, applying the battery swap technology to the daily delivery scenarios of eCanter trucks and Minicab micro electric vehicles. As the pilot progresses, this innovation not only solves the pain point of commercial vehicle charging efficiency, but also has the potential to reshape the energy transformation path of Japan's logistics industry.