Thailand gets 4,200 battery-swappable electric trucks
The tripartite collaboration will support Thailand’s push to decarbonise commercial transport, particularly highly polluting heavy-duty truck operations. The companies will focus on reducing emissions on major highway routes and at container ports.
SAIC Hongyan will supply 3,000battery-swapping compatible electric heavy trucks for long-haul operations and 1,200 port-specific short-distance trucks. UNEX EV will develop special battery modules to enable battery swapping and support sales of the battery-swappable trucks.
U Power will provide the battery-swapping infrastructure for SAIC Hongyan and UNEX EV’s jointly developed prototypes. The Chinese truckmaker will offer technical support to ensure seamless integration with U Power’s stations.
Following Thailand, the partners are considering deployments of battery-swappable heavy-duty EVs in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, Europe and Latin America. Commenting on potential expansion, UNEX EV CEO Pitak Pruittisarikorn said, “By combining our deep local market insight and a global ecosystem of clean mobility technologies, we aim to pave the way for a scalable and sustainable heavy truck electrification model, not just for Thailand, but also for emerging logistics hubs across Southeast Asia and beyond.”
“We look forward to extending our collaboration in more regional markets,” said U Power CEO and Chairman Johnny Lee. In April 2025, the Chinese battery swapping solutions provider delivered 21 battery swapping-enabled MG EP electric estates to Auto Drive EV for taxi and ride-hailing services in Phuket. The company had partnered with UNEX EV for modifying these EVs into battery-swappable vehicles as well. In July, it opened Southeast Asia’s first smart battery-swapping station on the island to serve that fleet.
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