In a recent development, leading electric vehicle battery manufacturer CATL has unveiled plans to replace traditional gas stations with electric vehicle battery swap stations across China by 2025.
To execute this plan, CATL has introduced a standardized battery line, Choco-SEB (swapping electric block), designed for a battery-swapping network. Choco-SEB batteries are compact and easily replaceable.
The Choco-SEB line offers two versions: Package #20 (LFP battery) for compact vehicles like minis and Package #25 (NMC battery) designed for larger vehicles such as hatchbacks and sedans. CATL states that these versions are positioned as alternatives to 92 and 95 gasoline, offering a range of up to 600 km.
The Choco-SEB battery swap stations by CATL will feature 14–30 large battery compartments. Users can conveniently swap batteries at these stations in about 100 seconds, significantly faster than refueling a traditional gas tank.
The cost of using the Choco-SEB battery swap service is 0.1 RMB/km (approximately 348,000 VND/km), and the swap success rate is expected to be 99.99%.
Initially, CATL aims to build the first 1,000 battery swap stations by 2025. In the subsequent phase, they will construct an additional 10,000 stations with their partners before reaching the final goal of 30,000 stations, equivalent to 33% of the current approximate total of 100,000 gas stations.
Currently, CATL is collaborating with brands such as GAC, BAIC, Wuling, and FAW to produce 10 vehicle models equipped with Choco-SEB batteries. These models are set to be launched throughout 2025.
