JAC & CATL battery swapping station ready for commercial vehicles across China
The new battery swapping system for commercial vehicles from CATL and JAC claims to have advantages of rapid energy replenishment, cost savings, and compatibility with various vehicle models.
The continuing cooperation between JAC and CATL shows their confidence in battery swapping as a viable solution for the commercial EV market. The companies are said by the Beijing-based publication China Trucks to be aiming “to address charging limitations, reduce lifecycle costs, and accelerate adoption of electric vehicles in logistics, retail, and urban transport.”
Battery swapping stations generally offer minimal downtime for charging and a lower cost of electric vehicle ownership. Additional benefits for the battery maker include keeping battery materials within their own reuse and recycling loops without collection costs. The benefits for automotive companies, besides the shortest possible stops for charged batteries, include being able to update battery technology without making a given model redundant.
According to the trade publication, China Trucks, the JAC/CATL network is expected to include 1,000 stations across China by year’s end, 2025. The two companies’ long-term goals include reaching 10,000 and eventually 30,000 sites. The publication writes that 27 cities are already equipped with operational swapping stations.
JAC has announced three new electric vehicles launching in the second half of 2025 with batteries that can be swapped using CATL’s Choco-SEB battery platform. The JAC EV5 is equipped with an 81kWh battery and is aimed at cold-chain and intercity delivery. Last-mile and grocery deliveries are covered by the Kaida EX6, which also uses an 81kWh battery. The Van Balu V10 sports a 56kWh battery and focuses on supply chain logistics and short-range retail transport.
Battery swapping stations for commercial vehicles are seeing increased interest for the above-mentioned advantages. A battery swapping station network for commercial vehicles recently got a boost in Japan, where US battery swapping station specialist Ample expanded a battery-swapping scheme in Tokyo with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), Mitsubishi Motors and Yamato Transport.
CATL is launching into battery-swapping in a big way. It’s now five years ago that CATL and Nio announced battery swapping stations for electric vehicles in 2020. Earlier this year, CATL joined forces with the Chinese oil company Sinopec to set up at least 500 battery exchange stations for electric vehicles this year – both for electric cars, as well as heavy-duty trucks. In the long term, the duo want to see this figure rise to 10,000.
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