Is Ample still in business in 2026?

No, Ample Inc filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 16, 2025 in the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 25-90817). Its assets were sold via a court-approved Section 363 sale to Transform AMP, LLC and Twelve Bridge Capital, with the sale order approved April 21, 2026.

Did Ample lay off most of its employees?

Yes, Ample cut its workforce from 198 employees down to just 2 full-time staff plus 15 retained contractors ahead of its December 16, 2025 Chapter 11 filing, according to its Chief Restructuring Officer's court declaration.

How much revenue was Ample generating before bankruptcy?

Ample's monthly bankruptcy operating reports for February through April 2026 show $0 in reported revenue for the debtor entities, despite pilots in Tokyo and Madrid launched in mid 2025.

Who bought Ample's battery-swapping assets?

Transform AMP, LLC, alongside debtor-in-possession lender Twelve Bridge Capital, acquired Ample's assets through a Section 363 bankruptcy sale approved by the court on April 21, 2026, after a strategic OEM bidder declined to bid on February 6, 2026.

How much money did Ample raise before collapsing?

Ample raised over $330 million cumulatively since its 2014 founding from investors including Shell Ventures, Blackstone, Mitsubishi Corporation, Repsol, Moore Strategic Ventures, HOF Capital and Banco Santander, per its December 23, 2025 Chapter 11 coverage.

Is Ample's battery-swapping model comparable to NIO's success in China?

Not at scale. NIO operates roughly 2,250 to 3,000-plus Power Swap Stations handling about 98,000 swaps per day as of early 2025, with under one-fifth profitable, while Ample reported $0 revenue in its 2026 bankruptcy filings before liquidating.

United States · absorbed · United States

Ample

Battery-swapping startup for EVs that filed Chapter 11 and sold its assets off.

Little protection left

Assessed 29 July 2026 · Evidence as of 29 July 2026

Not much stands between this business and its pressures.

On the recordSince 29 July 2026 · Checkable from June 22, 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: Extended deadline for contract assumption and cure-amount objections in the bankruptcy case

The call

Ample raised over $330 million and hit a $1 billion valuation before running out of cash, filing Chapter 11, and selling its remaining assets to Transform AMP in 2026.

Ample built battery-swapping stations where drivers could exchange depleted car batteries for charged ones in minutes, instead of waiting at a charger. The idea sounds convenient, but it failed because it required car makers to agree on a standard battery design and size, which they refused to do after studying the math. Tesla, ChargePoint, and EVgo proved that fast-charging networks work better and cost less to build. The one thing that could matter: if the company's new owner, Transform AMP, actually restarts the Tokyo or Madrid stations with real paying customers, it might prove the model can work outside the U.S., though no public plans have been announced yet.

Why

AI pressure: None apparent. AI software had nothing to do with this collapse; the failure was hardware economics and lack of OEM standardization. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.

Bigger players: Fast-charging network operators (Tesla Supercharger, ChargePoint, EVgo) and OEMs that standardized on charging instead of swapping. OEMs and fleets picked fast charging over swap stations, leaving Ample with zero revenue before its December 2025 bankruptcy filing. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.

What protects it. None apparent; the operating company no longer exists, having sold its assets to Transform AMP in April 2026.

What would change this call

Transform AMP publicly states whether it will relaunch Tokyo/Madrid swap stations by end of 2026. Shows whether any operating battery-swap business survives or the assets were purely liquidated.
Bankruptcy court closes the Ample Chapter 11 case or confirms a liquidation plan. Confirms final wind-down status and unsecured creditor recovery outcome.
Any government mandate for EV battery pack standardization is proposed in the US or EU. Would indicate the structural condition that could revive swapping economics elsewhere.

Key numbers

$0 revenue reported in monthly operating filings (2026-04-30)
Staff cut from 198 to 2 full-time employees (2025-12-16)
$330M+ raised cumulatively since 2014 (2025-12-23)

Named risks

Company has effectively ceased operations, retaining only 2 full-time staff post bankruptcy filing. Severity: high
$0 reported revenue across all monthly operating reports through April 2026. Severity: high
Business model requires OEM battery-pack standardization that never materialized in Western markets. Severity: high
Buyer Transform AMP's plans to relaunch or merely liquidate remaining IP are not publicly disclosed. Severity: medium
Unresolved contract assumption and cure-amount disputes extended to June 2026. Severity: medium

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
NIO	losing to	NIO runs 2,250-3,000+ profitable-adjacent swap stations vs Ample's $0 revenue as of April 2026
Gogoro	losing to	Gogoro's 12,500+ two-wheeler stations dwarf Ample's stalled Tokyo/Madrid pilots as of mid 2026
Tesla Supercharger / ChargePoint / EVgo	losing to	Fast-charging incumbents rejected swapping; Tesla abandoned its one demo swap station, per Dec 2025 reporting
Stellantis	losing to	Former partner and rumored strategic bidder declined to bid on Ample's assets, announced Feb 6, 2026
Better Place (historical)	losing to	Ample repeated the 2013 Better Place battery-swap failure pattern, ending in its own Dec 2025 Chapter 11

Questions people ask

Is Ample still in business in 2026?: No, Ample Inc filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 16, 2025 in the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 25-90817). Its assets were sold via a court-approved Section 363 sale to Transform AMP, LLC and Twelve Bridge Capital, with the sale order approved April 21, 2026.
Did Ample lay off most of its employees?: Yes, Ample cut its workforce from 198 employees down to just 2 full-time staff plus 15 retained contractors ahead of its December 16, 2025 Chapter 11 filing, according to its Chief Restructuring Officer's court declaration.
How much revenue was Ample generating before bankruptcy?: Ample's monthly bankruptcy operating reports for February through April 2026 show $0 in reported revenue for the debtor entities, despite pilots in Tokyo and Madrid launched in mid 2025.
Who bought Ample's battery-swapping assets?: Transform AMP, LLC, alongside debtor-in-possession lender Twelve Bridge Capital, acquired Ample's assets through a Section 363 bankruptcy sale approved by the court on April 21, 2026, after a strategic OEM bidder declined to bid on February 6, 2026.
How much money did Ample raise before collapsing?: Ample raised over $330 million cumulatively since its 2014 founding from investors including Shell Ventures, Blackstone, Mitsubishi Corporation, Repsol, Moore Strategic Ventures, HOF Capital and Banco Santander, per its December 23, 2025 Chapter 11 coverage.
Is Ample's battery-swapping model comparable to NIO's success in China?: Not at scale. NIO operates roughly 2,250 to 3,000-plus Power Swap Stations handling about 98,000 swaps per day as of early 2025, with under one-fifth profitable, while Ample reported $0 revenue in its 2026 bankruptcy filings before liquidating.

Timeline

2026-06-16Objection deadline for contract assumption and cure amounts extended in Ample bankruptcy case
2026-04-21Court approves sale order transferring Ample assets to Transform AMP, LLC and Twelve Bridge Capital
2026-04-20Notice of successful bid filed naming Transform AMP as winning purchaser
2026-02-06Strategic OEM bidder announces it will not bid on Ample's assets
2026-01-12Bankruptcy court approves bidding procedures for Ample asset sale
2025-12-16Ample Inc and Ample Texas EV LLC file Chapter 11 in Southern District of Texas
2025-09-10Ample announces Repsol gas-station-site partnership in Madrid
2025-06-12Ample launches Madrid citywide swap network with Stellantis, Free2move and Fiat
2025-06-11Ample launches Tokyo commercial network with Mitsubishi Fuso, Mitsubishi Motors and Yamato
2021-11-10Ample crosses $1 billion unicorn valuation after Blackstone-led funding round

Revision history

29 July 2026

First assessed. Little protection left. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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