Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
The world’s largest battery maker CATL signed an expanded agreement with Chinese state-owned oil giant Sinopec on Wednesday to jointly build at least 500 battery swap stations in 2025, with a long-term target of 10,000 stations nationwide.
CATL said the partnership includes both industrial and capital cooperation to accelerate the rollout of a nationwide battery swapping network.
The two companies also aim to establish unified standards and a battery asset management system for passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks using CATL’s “Choco-SEB” (chocolate battery swap) solution and its Qiji skateboard chassis swap technology.
In mid-December, CATL launched its battery swapping ecosystem branded “Choco-Swap,” introducing two standardized battery packs, the “#20” and “#25.” The company has laid out a detailed construction timeline, aiming to install 1,000 Choco-Swap stations by 2025 and expand the network to Hong Kong and Macau.
In the medium term, CATL plans to build 10,000 stations with its partners. “As the battery swap ecosystem expands, and through the joint efforts of the whole society, there will be 30,000 Choco-Swap stations in the future,” the company said in a statement late last year.
CATL x Nio
CATL expanded last month its partnership with its long-term partner and customer Nio to build a battery swapping network for passenger vehicles. Additionally, CATL committed an investment of up to 2.5 billion yuan ($344 million) in Nio’s energy arm, Nio Power.
In a joint statement, the companies said they aim to “advance the high-quality development of the new energy vehicle industry by building a battery swapping network for passenger vehicles.” They also plan to “pursue capital cooperation,” with
CATL x Nio-backed Mirattery
In a separate development, Chinese tech news outlet 36Kr reported last month that CATL is planning to increase its stake in Mirattery, a Wuhan-based battery asset operator backed by Nio. Currently, CATL’s stake is at about 10.7%.
