On December 18, 2024, at the Chocolate Battery Swap Ecosystem Conference, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) launched the 20# and 25# standardized battery swapping models and joined forces with nearly a hundred partners to initiate the Chocolate Battery Swap Ecosystem. This marks a historic milestone in the standardization of electric vehicle battery swapping.
As a global leader in innovative new energy technology, CATL has been exploring a new energy ecosystem where electrification is accessible to everyone and sustainable development is participatory. The conference aimed to unite automotive manufacturers, financial institutions, insurance companies, e-commerce platforms, and other ecosystem parties to provide full lifecycle operational services, thereby jointly creating a standardized battery-swap ecosystem and offering users a “more convenient, more economical, and safer” electric travel experience.
“We will continue to promote the standardization of battery swapping, with the core focus on the standardization of battery sizes.” In the opening speech of the conference, Robin (Yuqun) Zeng, Chairman and CEO of CATL, announced the launch of two standardized Chocolate battery swap units, named 20# and 25#, analogous to the 92# and 95# petrol grades at refueling stations.
The aforementioned standard battery swap units, based on different chemical systems, offer products with varying energy capacities. Each standard swap unit comes with two versions—lithium iron phosphate and ternary—allowing users to allocate power as needed.
Yang Jun, CEO of CATL Energy Service, explained that the 20# swap unit with the lithium iron phosphate version has an energy capacity of 42 kWh, providing a range of 400 km; the ternary version has a capacity of 52 kWh and a 500 km range. The 25# swap unit with lithium iron phosphate delivers 56 kWh, achieving a 500 km range, while the ternary version offers 70 kWh and a 600 km range. The two standard swap units are suited for A0 class and A/B class vehicles, respectively.
Power allocation as needed is the advantage of the Chocolate battery swap. Yang Jun noted that users have shifted from purchasing entire battery units to paying based on usage, maximizing the value of each battery. Power allocation as needed is the advantage of the Chocolate battery swap. Yang Jun noted that users have shifted from purchasing entire battery units to paying based on usage, maximizing the value of each battery.
At the ecosystem conference, Robin (Yuqun) Zeng announced that all future new battery technologies developed by CATL will be applied to Chocolate battery swap models.
The implementation of standardization is expected to significantly reduce the development costs of battery swap vehicles, shorten the new vehicle development cycle by more than half a year, and resolve the quality, performance, and cost triangle dilemma.### Will Standardization Lead to Homogenization?
“We are tackling the issues arising as electrification enters deeper territory,” emphasized Times Electric Services CEO Yang Jun. “The simpler the solutions we provide, the better our excellent automotive partners can leverage intelligence and personalization to create value for users.”
“We eagerly await the release of CATL’s universal battery swapping solution,” expressed Lu Mei, General Manager of China Automotive Technology & Research Center Co., Ltd. (CATARC). She hopes this will accelerate the establishment of urgently needed standards in key areas, laying a solid foundation for the advancement and promotion of the battery swapping ecosystem.
CATL has set a clear timeline for the construction of its swapping network: By 2025, it will self-construct 1,000 chocolate swapping stations and expand into Hong Kong and Macau. In its mid-term plan, CATL, in collaboration with partners, will build 10,000 stations; as the ecosystem grows, a collective effort across society will see the scale reaching 30,000 stations.
In his opening remarks, Zeng Yuqun predicted that by 2030, battery swapping, home charging, and public charging stations would equally share the market.
Yang Jun, CEO of Times Electric Services, explained that China currently has 100,000 gas stations. With the advent of the electrification era, based on a division among home charging, public fast charging, and battery swapping, 30,000 swapping stations will be needed.
The standard swapping stations built by CATL can accommodate vehicles with a wheelbase range of 2.55 to 3.1 meters, “making it the swapping station with the highest wheelbase compatibility in the industry,” said Yang Jun. Each standard station is equipped with 14 to 30 battery slots, providing the highest land efficiency in the industry.
Such standard swapping stations ensure a 99.99% success rate, with a battery swap duration of 100 seconds. In practice, users find swapping as convenient as refueling, but at a significantly reduced cost.
The 30,000 swapping stations integrate storage and charging, supporting B2G (Battery to Grid), effectively acting as 30,000 distributed energy storage units.
CATL can utilize its “Brain” cloud platform to link these storage units to the grid and onsite photovoltaics, engaging in grid interaction, optimizing off-peak charging, reducing costs and increasing efficiency, while responding to grid demands almost instantly. They strive to use green energy during battery charging, thus contributing to grid safety and expanding green energy consumption.
Calculations estimate that 30,000 swapping stations, with each accommodating 14 to 30 batteries, can handle 33.6 million kWh of electricity; coupled with service to 20 million vehicles at these stations, an additional 1.12 billion kWh can be managed, making these distributed energy storage resources readily available for grid dispatch.
CATL, harnessing its globally largest battery database, can access historical and real-time data for each battery swap and individual cell, using sophisticated models to monitor battery degradation while ensuring optimal battery performance. This system maximizes the value of each battery cycle.
Chocolate Battery Swap possesses 9 major advantages: rechargeable, swappable, upgradeable; rent, purchase, repurchase options; visibility, manageability, and optimization. Users can choose to charge, swap, or upgrade batteries, as well as opt for battery leasing, ownership, or buyback. The swap batteries and station assets can achieve “visibility, manageability, optimization.”
The battery swap model offers convenience through vehicle-battery separation, but requires more industry collaboration. At the Eco Conference, Zeng Yuqun extended an invitation: “Battery swapping is not only a business of CATL but also a mission for anyone committed to sustainable development. We hope to bring more strength together through the ‘Chocolate Battery Swap Ecosystem’ to jointly drive the prosperous growth of the battery swap industry.” CATL aims to collaborate with automakers, financial institutions, and insurance companies, smoothing the battery swap business model to ensure worry-free car purchase, usage, and replacement for consumers.
In terms of automakers, CATL has announced partnerships with CCAG, GAC, BAIC, Wuling, and FAW. The conference announced the joint launch of 10 battery swap models, which will hit the market from the end of this year, “with new models launching every quarter thereafter.” Chocolate Battery Swap is the first standardized battery swap brand to offer cross-brand, cross-model, and cross-industry services.
In addition to flexible swapping, transactions are also seamless. The Chocolate Battery Swap Ecosystem has fully considered entry and exit mechanisms for various transaction scenarios, with partnerships in vehicle trading, battery leasing and sales, battery insurance, and testing joining.
In the future, consumers can buy cars, maintain them, and subscribe to batteries on platforms like JD.com. Insurance companies such as PICC, China Life, and China United P&C Insurance will offer professional battery insurance, reducing the premium from 2,000 to 500 yuan.
Financial institutions like CGB Financial Leasing and CMB Financial Leasing provide innovative financial products and services, transitioning from vehicle finance to body finance, lowering entry thresholds and ensuring asset security.
Simultaneously, consumers can assess battery value on platforms like CheBos Diagnosis and sell car bodies without batteries on used car platforms like Uxin. They can also enjoy long- and short-term rentals of battery swap models on rental platforms such as Shenzhou, eHi, Shouqi, and Zhongjin.
As of the conference day, the number of swap ecosystem partners has grown to nearly 100, with CATL signing 107,500 battery subscriptions with 30 enterprises.
CATL announced the pricing for the first market-available “LFP version” battery rental: 25# Battery Swap Free Travel Pack with unlimited monthly mileage for 599 yuan, Home Monthly Rent at 499 yuan; 20# Battery Swap Free Travel Pack, monthly rent of 469 yuan, Home Monthly Rent at 369 yuan.
This article is a translation by AI of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.