Today, with the rapid development of new energy vehicles, the improvement and innovation of charging facilities have become the key to the industry. As the world's leading power battery supplier, CATL's layout in the field of battery swapping is gradually maturing. In 2024, CATL announced its ambitious goal: by 2025, it will land 1,000 battery swap stations nationwide to further promote the popularization and development of battery swap mode for new energy vehicles. This plan was first announced at the "2024 CATL Chocolate Battery Swap Ecological Conference" by Yang Jun, CEO of CATL's subsidiary, Times Electric Service.
1. Innovation and accumulation of battery swap ecology
CATL has a deep technical accumulation in the field of power batteries and battery swapping. As early as 2022, CATL launched the battery swap service brand EVOGO and its core product "Chocolate Battery Swap Block", and the innovative battery swap method has become a market highlight. The chocolate battery swapping block adopts a standardized design, which can quickly complete the battery replacement within 1.5 minutes, which greatly improves the battery swapping efficiency. This model effectively solves the charging anxiety of electric vehicles in long-distance driving, improves the user experience, and has achieved positive repercussions in practical applications.
The chocolate battery swap mode not only greatly reduces the time cost of traditional charging, but also greatly improves the utilization rate of the battery. With the continuous expansion of the new energy vehicle market, battery swap technology has gradually become an important supplementary way for electric vehicles to supplement energy. The launch of CATL's chocolate battery swap ecology provides an innovative solution to solve the problems of uneven charging facilities and slow charging speed.
2. CATL's 2025 battery swap station plan
According to CATL's latest plan, it will build 1,000 chocolate battery swap stations by 2025. This goal is not only an important step for CATL in the field of battery swapping, but also an important measure to promote the popularization of battery swap mode across the country. Through the self-built battery swap stations, CATL will provide a wide range of battery swap services in different regions to further improve the accessibility and convenience of battery swap stations.
With the continuous development of the battery swap ecosystem, CATL's medium-term goal is to build 10,000 battery swap stations. By continuously expanding the battery swap station network and optimizing battery swap services, CATL plans to significantly increase its market share and penetration rate in the next few years.
Figure: CATL plans to land 1,000 battery swap stations in 2025 (Source: CATL)
3. Partners and model adaptation
In order to ensure the smooth promotion of the battery swap ecosystem, CATL has launched strategic cooperation with a number of mainstream car companies, including Changan, GAC, BAIC, WULING, FAW and other well-known car companies. The battery-swapping models jointly launched by these car companies cover A0-class, A-class, B-class and other models, providing a wealth of choices for consumers with different needs.
The chocolate battery swap block is suitable for a variety of models, and according to the needs of different electric vehicles, CATL provides battery swap blocks of different specifications such as No. 20 and No. 25. The No. 20 standard battery swapper is suitable for A0 class products, while the No. 25 standard battery swapper block is suitable for Class A and B vehicles. These battery swap blocks are available in lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium battery versions according to the needs of the vehicle model to meet the diverse battery needs in the market.
In addition, CATL has also injected more innovative elements into the standardized design of battery swap blocks, so that its compatibility, durability, charging rate and other aspects are continuously optimized. Through close cooperation with car companies, CATL's battery swap stations will be able to provide efficient and safe battery swap services for more car owners.
4. the broad prospects and challenges of the battery swap market
As the market share of electric vehicles continues to rise, traditional charging piles can no longer meet the growing market demand. Compared with charging piles, battery swap stations have the advantage of faster battery replacement, which plays an important role in the popularization of electric vehicles. Dr. Zeng Yuqun, Chairman and CEO of CATL, pointed out at the conference that by 2030, battery swapping, home charging and public charging piles will be "divided into three parts", which profoundly reveals the huge potential of the battery swap market in the future.
However, the construction of battery swap stations still faces some challenges. For example, issues such as the location of battery swap stations, infrastructure construction, and the interoperability of battery swap networks all require the joint efforts of relevant enterprises and governments. For CATL, how to ensure the efficiency of the construction and operation of battery swap stations while ensuring the quality of battery swap service will be an important topic for future development.
In addition, with the continuous improvement of the battery swap ecosystem, CATL will continue to promote the application of new technologies to improve the performance of battery swap vehicles. For example, future chocolate battery swap models will apply CATL's latest battery technology to further improve battery life, charging speed and safety, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of battery swap mode.
5. Summary: Promote the development of battery swap mode for new energy vehicles
CATL plans to build 1,000 battery swap stations by 2025, marking the further deepening of its layout in the field of battery swapping. With the improvement of the battery swap ecosystem, CATL has not only promoted the construction of battery swap infrastructure, but also expanded the battery swap service of new energy vehicles through cooperation with a number of car companies. This strategic initiative will provide a solid foundation for the rapid development of the new energy vehicle industry, and also provide more convenient battery replacement solutions for the majority of car owners.
In the future, with the expansion of mass production and the continuous progress of battery swapping technology, CATL will occupy a more important position in the global new energy vehicle industry. By building a complete battery swap network and innovating technologies, CATL is expected to lead the electric vehicle industry into a new "battery swap era".
