CATL to build 1,000 EV battery swap stations in China to ease range anxiety

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Ten new EV models using the battery swap technology will be developed by CATL and its partners such as Changan Auto and FAW Group, chairman says

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Robin Zeng, CEO of EV battery maker CATL, greets a guest after a launch event for the next generation of swap stations in Xiamen, Fujian province on December 18, 2024. AP Photo

Daniel Renin Shanghai

Published: 9:14pm, 18 Dec 2024Updated: 9:15pm, 18 Dec 2024

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), China’s largest producer of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), plans to build 1,000 battery swap stations nationwide in 2025 to ease range anxiety among more drivers as the world’s biggest EV market approaches maturity.

The company said the stations would allow EV owners to exchange a spent battery pack for a fully charged pack within 100 seconds. Some of them would be built in Hong Kong and Macau, where efforts are being stepped up to convert more users from petrol-powered vehicles.

“CATL is determined to promote the best EV battery technologies,” Robin Zeng Yuqun, the company’s billionaire founder and chairman, said at a virtual media briefing on Wednesday. “As the market leader, we will join hands with our partners to create a sound ecosystem to achieve innovative breakthroughs.”

Based in Ningde in eastern Fujian province, CATL aims to build a total of 30,000 battery swap stations in the future, Zeng said without giving a specific time frame. The firm will also introduce external investors to expand the charging network.

An aerial view of CATL headquarters in Ningde in eastern Fujian province on November 15, 2024. Photo: AFP

CATL, which counts Tesla and BMW among its biggest clients, also offers rental services of swappable batteries to EV users from 369 yuan (US$51) a month. The firm has secured subscription orders for 107,500 of its Choco-SEB batteries from more than 30 companies, Zeng said at the briefing.

Another 10 new EV models using the battery swap technology will be jointly developed by CATL and its partners such as Changan Automobile and FAW Group, the company added.