Huawei’s automotive technology company Yinwang, also known as Newcool, and CATL have tentatively selected five electric vehicle models for battery swapping, with launches planned for 2027, CnEVPost reported, citing LatePost. The lineup and timeline have not been officially confirmed.
The vehicles are being developed by Newcool, CATL and Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology (CAES), CATL’s battery-swap operator. Newcool confirmed the main terms of the companies’ strategic cooperation but declined to comment on the reported model count or launch schedule.
Cailian previously reported that the first model would come from Epicland, a brand jointly developed by Dongfeng and Huawei, with a launch expected in 2027. The specific model has not been disclosed.
Integration With CATL’s Choco Network
Announced on October 19, the partnership will adapt vehicles equipped with Huawei’s Qiankun intelligent automotive solutions for compatibility with CATL’s Choco battery-swap ecosystem.
The companies plan to connect vehicle, battery-swap station and cloud services, using real-time battery data and travel patterns to anticipate energy needs. The system is intended to let vehicles enter stations, position themselves and complete an automated battery swap in 99 seconds.
CATL Plans Wider Network Expansion
CATL had built 2,520 battery-swap stations across 200 Chinese cities as of September 29. The company aims to expand the network to 30,000 stations over the longer term and plans to build 1,000 highway battery-swap stations between 2026 and 2027.
Adding more compatible vehicle models could increase network utilisation and support recurring revenue from battery rentals and energy replenishment services. However, expansion also requires investment in stations, battery inventories and operations.
Newcool, which took over Huawei’s former intelligent automotive solutions business, supplies automakers with technologies covering intelligent driving, smart cockpits and vehicle control.