Battery-Swapping Electric Vehicle Sets 24-Hour Record: 1,170 Miles

August 24th, 2012 by James Ayre



A new record has been set for the longest distance covered by a battery-swapping electric vehicle in 24-hours, 1,170 miles. That’s pretty impressive for an electric car, and makes a good argument for battery swapping as a good solution to the challenge of EV charging.

The record was done by going fifteen-and-a-half times around a 75.6-mile loop on public roads between Port Melbourne and Geelong, in Victoria, Australia, in a Holden Commodore EV developed by EV Engineering.

EV Engineering calls itself a “a consortium of Australian automotive suppliers and industry participants that has designed and built seven proof-of-concept electric Holden Commodores. Holden is the GM subsidiary in Australia. The Commodore had a run of 15 consecutive years as Australia’s best-selling automobile model that was broken just last year.”

The main contributor to the record-breaking drive was in the use of battery swapping. Using an EV that is designed for the procedure, the battery can be switched in a couple of minutes, having its drained battery replaced quickly with a charged one. Even using the fastest available charging stations, it can take up to 30 minutes to receive a full charge.







The downside of a swapping station, though, is that it’s a considerably more expensive investment — it costs around $500,000, while a fast-charging station is between $25,000 and $40,000.

“When we began the project to develop a proof-of-concept electric Commodore, it was critical that we incorporate ground-breaking battery switch technology,” Ian McCleave, CEO of EV Engineering, said in a statement. “That’s what got us across the line. We were able to quickly switch our depleted battery for a fully charged one, so we didn’t have to park and plug in in order to recharge. We were able to just drive, switch, and keep going.”

Source: GreenTechGrid

Image Credits: EV Engineering









Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica member, supporter, or ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.

Sign up for our free daily newsletter or weekly newsletter to never miss a story.

Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest Cleantech Talk Episode