Huawei’s intelligent automotive business and battery manufacturer CATL reportedly plan to introduce their first battery-swap-compatible vehicle in 2027 under Epicland, the brand jointly developed by Dongfeng and Huawei.
Chinese financial news outlet Cailian reported the planned timeline on Tuesday but did not identify the vehicle. The report follows a strategic cooperation framework agreement signed on October 19 between Huawei’s intelligent automotive business, known as Yinwang or Newcool, CATL and its battery-swap operator.
The agreement established a framework for connecting vehicles equipped with Huawei’s Qiankun intelligent automotive solutions to CATL’s Choco battery-swap network. However, the original announcement did not specify a launch date or name any vehicle scheduled to support battery swapping.
Huawei Joins CATL’s Choco Swap Ecosystem
Under the agreement, Newcool will work with strategic partners to make vehicles using Huawei Qiankun technology compatible with CATL’s Choco battery-swap ecosystem.
The collaboration also involves Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology (CAES), CATL’s battery-swap operator. The three parties intend to connect vehicle systems, swap stations and cloud platforms to coordinate battery services.
By combining real-time battery information with users’ travel patterns, the partners aim to anticipate energy requirements and arrange battery swaps proactively.
The cooperation roadmap also envisages an automated swapping process in which vehicles locate a station, enter and align themselves before completing a battery exchange and departing. The companies have outlined a target process time of 99 seconds for a fully automated swap.
These capabilities form part of the partnership’s planned development, rather than confirmation that the complete system is already commercially available.
Epicland’s First Model Is the X9
Epicland launched its first vehicle, the X9, on September 24, with nationwide deliveries beginning on October 18 at Huawei’s Songshan Lake campus.
The X9 is a large, three-row, six-seat extended-range electric SUV. Its standard equipment includes Huawei Qiankun ADS 5 driver-assistance technology and the HarmonySpace 6 cockpit system.
Although Epicland is the brand identified in the reported 2027 battery-swap timeline, neither Cailian’s report nor the previously announced cooperation agreement identified the X9 as the vehicle planned for the launch.
Expanding Huawei’s Automotive Partnerships
Epicland is among the automotive brands developed through Huawei’s Qiankun business in partnership with domestic vehicle manufacturers. It operates separately from the Huawei-led Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA).
The proposed CATL collaboration would extend the integration of Huawei’s intelligent vehicle technologies into battery-swap infrastructure. If implemented as planned, the network could combine automated vehicle functions with station-based battery replacement and cloud-based energy management.
The first model’s identity, commercial launch arrangements and compatibility details remain undisclosed. The reported 2027 timeline is therefore an initial indication of the partnership’s product plans, rather than a confirmed launch announcement from the companies.