BMW iX3 crowned World Car of the Year 2026 as EVs lead the way
The BMW iX3 has been named World Car of the Year 2026, with the announcement made at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
- Industry News
- 2 April 2026
Stellantis and Ample have signed a binding agreement to establish a partnership in electric vehicle (EV) battery-charging technology capable of delivering a fully charged electric vehicle battery in under five minutes.
The two partners have agreed to work toward integrating Ample’s Modular Battery Swapping solution in Stellantis electric vehicles. Battery-swapping technology allows an EV customer, who stops at a battery swapping station, to have its depleted EV battery swapped out for a fully charged battery in a matter of minutes.
The two companies are also in discussions regarding the expansion of the application of Ample’s Modular Battery Swapping Technology to meet Stellantis’s fleet and consumer demand across other Stellantis platforms and geographies.
The initial programme is planned to begin in Madrid, Spain, in 2024 using a fleet of 100 Fiat 500e’s within Stellantis’s Free2move car-sharing service. The Fiat 500e is the top selling electric vehicle within Stellantis, sold globally and is an EV leader in multiple European markets.
Ample’s technology provides an alternative way of delivering energy to electric vehicles that makes the refuelling experience as fast and convenient as refuelling with petrol, while offering a green solution to customers who can integrate renewable energy sources more seamlessly.
Ample batteries are designed to be a drop-in replacement for an electric vehicle’s original battery. This is made possible by Ample’s modular batteries, which can fit into any electric vehicle, and would allow Stellantis to integrate Ample’s technology without re-engineering its vehicle platforms.
In addition, Ample’s light-weight battery-swapping stations can be deployed in public areas in as little as three days, allowing for a rapidly scalable infrastructure that can meet drivers’ demand. When an Ample-enabled EV approaches the Ample station, the vehicle is immediately recognised by the station. Once parked inside, the driver initiates the battery swap from the mobile app resulting in a fully charged battery in less than five minutes.
Ample’s Modular Battery-Swapping solution is designed to be fast and cost-effective, thereby minimising the time when electric vehicles are out-of-service, as well as the related financial impacts. Ample’s battery technology will be made available to EV customers on a subscription service basis.
As part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis announced plans of reaching a 100% passenger car battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030.
To achieve these sales targets, the Company is securing approximately 400 GWh of battery capacity. Stellantis is on track to become a carbon net zero corporation by 2038, all scopes included, with single-digit percentage compensation of remaining emissions.
While rising fuel prices often trigger spikes in interest around electric vehicles, Volvo Car South Africa believes the real reasons South Africans are starting to consider EVs go far beyond the petrol pump.
MG has opened a new engineering centre in Frankfurt as part of its “in Europe, for Europe” approach. The facility will focus on developing vehicles suited to European conditions, including climate, roads and driving habits. It will work alongside existing teams in the United Kingdom (UK) and London design hub.
Europe’s used electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing a notable surge as the Iran conflict drives up global oil prices and pushes petrol costs sharply higher across the continent.