Fiat owner Stellantis is trialling battery swapping technology with the Fiat 500e, in a bid to offer full recharge times in just five minutes.

If successful, the group said, this could eliminate one of the biggest barriers to EV ownership: charging time.

Currently taking place in Madrid, the trial involves a small fleet of 40 500e cars that have been adapted to use a pack (of unspecified size) from battery swapping firm Ample. The fleet are all operated by Stellantis-owned car-sharing firm Free2move and are being driven by users in the city.

The cars are currently serviced by a single swapping station in Madrid, but more are planned to be created in the city as part of the trial, which has been supported by a €9.8 million (£8.2m) grant from the Spanish government.

What’s more, Stellantis plans to expand the fleet to 100 in the coming months.

If successful, the technology will be rolled out to private customers, said Fiat CEO Olivier Francois. “We are dedicated to thoroughly testing and analysing this concept in real-world conditions and aiming to expand it to private customers soon. 

“That is why we believe deeply in this project and have chosen our iconic Fiat 500 to spearhead the initiative. It will provide invaluable insights for both our brandand the Group as we shape the future of mobility.”

It is unclear if the Stellantis trial will be expanded to other models, given the 500e is currently based on a bespoke platform and not the e-CMP architecture used by the likes of the Vauxhall Cross and Peugeot e-208.