CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, has unveiled a standardized battery swap pack for heavy-duty trucks, marking its latest push to accelerate electrification in commercial transportation.
The new “75#” battery swap block was introduced on May 18 at an event in Datong, Shanxi province. Developed by CATL’s subsidiary Qiji Energy, the battery is designed for use in battery swap-enabled heavy trucks and offers a modular approach allowing operators to adjust the number of packs per vehicle.
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“The battery swap block has the industry’s highest level of long lifespan and allows vehicles to choose the number of packs they want,” said Yang Jun, CEO of Qiji Energy.
Qiji Energy was launched in June 2023 to support battery swap infrastructure in the heavy truck sector. Since then, CATL has collaborated with more than a dozen vehicle manufacturers to roll out over 30 heavy truck models that are compatible with battery swap technology.
The Qiji Energy stations are outfitted with 24 battery packs and are compatible with 95% of mainstream truck models in the Chinese market, according to Yang.
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CATL said the battery swap system could help operators save up to RMB 60,000 ($8,320) per 100,000 kilometers compared to diesel trucks. The cost savings amount to around RMB 20,000 even when compared with liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles, while also offering insulation from the volatility of LNG prices.
The move follows CATL’s December 2024 launch of standardized Choco-SEB swap batteries for passenger cars, designated #20 and #25, modeled after gasoline grading labels in China.
Chairman and CEO Robin Zeng expressed optimism for the technology’s role in the freight sector. “In the next three years, the heavy truck industry will see explosive growth and is expected to achieve a 50 percent electrification rate because of the need for a zero-carbon transition and the need to reduce logistics costs,” Zeng said.
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CATL projects that by 2030, battery swapping, home charging, and public charging will each account for roughly one-third of all electric vehicle charging demand in China.