CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that it will complete its annual goal of installing 1,000 battery-swap stations by the end of November — one month ahead of schedule.
The milestone was revealed on Tuesday at the Guangzhou Auto Show, in a joint event with GAC Group.
“Last year, we said we would build 1,000 stations, and as of now, we already have 980 stations in the construction process,” an executive said.
CATL launched its ‘Choco-Swap’ ecosystem in December 2024. Back then, the company unveiled two standardized battery models to be used in EV battery swapping.
“By the end of this month, the full 1,000 stations will be completed,” he added, noting that the brand has “the fastest station-building speed in all of China.”
CATL representatives reaffirmed that the company will add 1,500 more stations next year. Having reached 45 cities so far, the battery giant aims to expand to 100 more.
“This will cover over 95% of all A-tier regions, allowing us to meet demand everywhere,” the executive said.
As it prepares to release a new generation of stations next year, the company hopes to “open franchising to allow even more stations to be built.”
Unlike Nio, which started by building its network around its own vehicles, CATL is working since day one with multiple carmakers to ensure broader compatibility.
The first models to use the Choco-Swap stations in 2025 include GAC’s Aion S sedan, Hongqi’s E-QM5, and SAIC’s Roewe D7, with several to follow in 2026.
Nio x CATL
Nio, the largest in battery swapping technology in China, has the largest network in the country, currently operating 3,581 battery swap stations in the country.
However, the Shanghai-based group could be outperformed by CATL, which has a mid-term plan of building 10,000 stations with its partners.
In September, Nio’s founder and CEO William Li announced that the company would not meet its reduced annual battery swap deployment target of 1,800–2,000 stations, as it redirects resources toward next-generation stations.
By the end of 2024, Nio had 3,000 battery swap stations. Year to date, the company added 581 stations so far this year — just 32.3% of the lower end of its target.
Battery Swap in Europe
The Nio Group expanded its battery swap technology to Europe in early 2022, a few months after entering the continent via Norway.
However, the development of battery swapping in Europe has been slow due to cost-cutting measures.
Nio currently operates 60 Power Swap stations in Europe, down by one from a few months ago after it closed its only station in Denmark.
CATL‘s VP and Board Secretary Jiang Li told the Financial Times in late June that the company will expand its battery swap technology to Europe.
However, the focus remains on China for now, executives said in late October, citing “lots of challenges” overseas.
Overseas automakers such as Ford, Tesla, BMW, Volkswagen or Stellantis currently use CATL batteries in their electric vehicles.
Last year, CATL entered a joint venture with Stellantis to build a €4.1 billion ($4.8 billion) lithium battery factory in Spain.
