• US electric-vehicle startup Fisker is bringing battery-swapping technology to its first model.
• The first Ocean SUVs with swappable batteries will hit streets in 2024, Fisker says.
• Battery swaps will take a few minutes and cost less than getting gas, according to the startup.

One of the biggest hurdles turning people off from buying electric cars is the time it takes to fill up. Pull up to a fast-charging station with a low charge and it'll be 20-60 minutes until you're back on the road with a nearly full battery. Plug in at home on a lower-voltage connection and you're looking at a charging time of multiple hours. Electric-vehicle startup Fisker has an ingenious solution to ease that pain. Rather than depleting and recharging the same battery over and over, why not swap out a dead pack for a fresh one and be on your way in minutes? Fisker is partnering up with Ample, a battery-swapping startup, to offer just that to buyers of its Ocean SUV starting in 2024. The company says battery swapping will offer the same fill-up times as gasoline at a lower cost per mile.