- CATL launched a "75#" standardized battery swap pack for heavy-duty trucks, following a similar move for passenger cars last December.
- CATL expects the heavy truck industry to achieve a 50 percent electrification rate in the next three years.
CATL (SHE: 300750) has launched a standardized battery pack for battery swap-enabled heavy-duty trucks, following a similar move for the passenger car segment last December.
The Chinese power battery giant released what it calls the "75#" standardized battery swap block for heavy-duty trucks at an event on May 18 in Datong, Shanxi province in northwest China.
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, a unit of CATL.
CATL launched Qiji Energy in June 2023 to advance the adoption of battery swap technology in the heavy truck segment.
CATL has now launched more than 30 battery swap-enabled heavy truck models with more than a dozen vehicle companies, according to Yang.
Qiji Energy's standardized battery swap stations are equipped with 24 battery packs and are compatible with 95 percent of mainstream vehicles, he said.
Compared to fuel-powered heavy trucks, those using Qiji Energy's chassis battery swap technology can save RMB 60,000 ($8,320) per 100,000 kilometers of operation, CATL said.
That cost savings is about RMB 20,000 compared to liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered heavy trucks, and battery swap-enabled heavy trucks are less susceptible to the easily fluctuating price of LNG.
CATL, the world's largest power battery maker, is betting big on the battery swap segment.
In December 2024, CATL announced two standardized Choco-SEB battery packs for passenger cars to accelerate the adoption of battery swap technology in passenger cars.
CATL named them #20 and #25, just as gasoline is available in China as #92, #95, and #98.
The company believes that by 2030, battery swap, at-home charging, and charging at public charging stations would each fulfill one-third of EV owners' replenishment needs.
CATL also has high expectations for the future of battery swap technology in the heavy truck 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, said Robin Zeng, chairman and CEO of CATL, at yesterday's event.
The company plans to build 300 battery swap stations serving heavy trucks in 13 core regions in China by the end of 2025, and a battery swap network covering 16 city clusters by 2030.
($1 = RMB 7.2095)
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