A year ago, we teamed up with Mitsubishi Fuso to deliver our modular battery-swapping technology to electric trucks. Today, we enter the next phase of our collaboration and the Fuso eCanter trucks equipped with Ample’s Modular Battery Swapping technology are hitting the streets of Kyoto, Japan. Yamato, the largest door-to-door delivery company in Japan with a market share of over 47%, will utilize Mitsubishi Fuso’s truck to support its efforts to electrify last-mile delivery.
Looking Back
Japan has long been a pioneer in the automotive sector. As the need for electrification met with the realities of dense cities and grid challenges, it quickly became apparent that new solutions are needed to meet Japan’s goals. Now, companies in the region are turning to solutions like battery swapping to help scale their use of electric vehicles.
Yamato experienced this firsthand. The company has committed to introduce 20,000 EVs and install 810 solar power generation facilities to achieve net zero by 2050 and a 48% emissions reduction by 2030 (relative to 2020). By making it possible to operate trucks with the same simplicity as gas-powered ones, and eliminating the need for significant grid upgrades, battery swapping enables a seamless transition to electric trucks.
Yamato, a beloved brand in Japan, puts its customers first and greatly values social responsibility, including sustainability. While plug-in charging requires a lot of energy at once and puts a lot of demand on the energy grid, battery swapping can rely on renewable energy sources given its ability to charge the batteries slowly over time.
The Road Ahead
Our modular battery swapping stations provide a full charge in just five minutes, mimicking the experience of a gas station to ensure that Yamato can pursue electrification without sacrificing efficiency. Yamato will begin implementing Ample’s stations into one of its regular routes in the city of Kyoto. In addition to helping Yamato reach its goals, last-mile delivery, responsible for 25-30% of emissions in towns and cities globally, is a crucial sector to electrify.
Working closely with Mitsubishi Fuso, we advanced the design of our swapping stations to accommodate larger delivery trucks and make it possible to utilize the same infrastructure to support a wider range of vehicles. The start of this deployment is an important step forward in Mitsubishi Fuso’s quest to build a completely carbon-neutral product portfolio in Japan by 2039.
Automotive leaders and government agencies in Japan have shown a willingness to embrace new innovations to achieve the nation’s electrification goals. We believe this mindset will help the country win the electrification race in the long run, and we’re proud to be a part of the effort.
Japan, we’re just getting started. We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response since our initial deployment of our battery-swapping technology in Kyoto. Stay tuned for more updates on how we will help Japan push the envelope on electrification.
