The future is here? CATL plots battery swapping revolution

CATL, the world’s largest maker of batteries for electric vehicles, is planning to massively scale up battery swapping in China, starting from 2025.  

The Chinese company has announced plans to open 1,000 swap stations next year in China, including in Hong Kong and Macao. Its long-term goal is to open a whopping 10,000 stations with partners. 

Its rival Nio, a Chinese EV firm, has opened over 2,700 stations and has plans for at least 5,000.

Such large investments are perhaps possible only in China, where government backing has made the country a leader in EV technology.  

“By 2030, battery swapping, home charging, and public charging stations will share the market,” Robin Zeng, the CEO of CATL, said. He urged corporate partners to work together to “build more convenient, more economical and safer services for customers, promoting a brand-new way of life.”

Battery swapping requires a standardization of the battery pack so the swap stations can handle it, and most EVs have their own configuration. Only select EV models around the world currently allow for swapping.

But in China, an electric car can use any charging station since all have a common plug, and fast-charging technology is reducing the recharge time.

China has taken a proactive approach to adopting EVs and EV tech, and is driving the global sales of electric cars.

Zeng said all new battery technologies from CATL will be applied to Choco-Swap models in the future. This could lower development costs for battery-swappable vehicles and reduce new vehicle development cycles.

“We are addressing the challenges faced by the electric vehicle industry as the industry goes into uncharted waters,” Yang Jun, CEO of CATL’s battery swapping arm CAES, said. “The simpler the solutions we provide, the better our automotive partners can leverage their strengths in intelligence and personalization to create value for users.”