Electric cars could be topped up in less than 10 minutes thanks to 'battery swapping' stations

San Francisco-based Ample announced a new battery charging technology that refuels electric vehicles from any automaker in just 10 minutes – three times faster than traditional systems. Using Modular Battery system, AI-powered robots remove the depleted battery and replace it with a fully charged unit – Ample says its batteries are like Lego-blocks that can accommodate any vehicle. Ample, started by Ex-Tesla and Google engineers, has constructed five battery swap stations in the San Francisco Bay Area, which can fit in two parking spots, specifically for Uber drivers. The technology comes as Tesla had promised deliver electric vehicle battery swapping stations in 2013, but the Elon Musk-owned company did not deliver - so the start-up moved to make it happen. 'Hopefully this is what convinces people finally that electric cars are the future,' Musk said, rallying a crowd at a splashy demo in 2013, also noting that battery of a Tesla Model S could be swapped in about 90 seconds. However, Musk said in 2015 that Tesla owners were not interested in swapping batteries and pulled the plug on pursuing a batter swapping station.