TechnologyOctober 22, 2026

CATL unveiled a replaceable truck battery with a capacity of 432-513 kWh. It has a range of 77 kWh and 13,000 orders placed.

Marcin Tymków

CATL unveiled the Dual-Electric Range Extender system for electric trucks in Beijing on October 20. The main battery with a capacity of 432 or 513 kWh is swapped at charging stations, while an additional 77 kWh battery remains permanently behind the cab. The manufacturer claims to have 13,000 units in orders at launch.

Swappable Battery and Permanent Buffer Behind the Cab

The main battery pack is installed under the floor. The 260# version (432 kWh) is designed for trucks with a wheelbase of 3.8 meters, while the 300# version (513 kWh) is suitable for vehicles with a wheelbase of 4.2 meters. Together with the battery behind the cab, this results in a total capacity of 509 or 590 kWh. The architecture is called “1+X”: the main battery pack is standardized for swapping networks, while the additional battery can be customized individually.

Why was a buffer needed at all? According to CATL, drivers of conventional replaceable batteries return to the charging station at around 30% charge, so part of the rented capacity remains idle. The buffer is intended to increase the utilization rate of the main battery pack from about 70% to over 95% depth of discharge. The driver only needs to stop for a replacement at around 5% charge.

At this threshold, the system switches power to the backup battery within milliseconds, ensuring the main battery never reaches zero charge. This is CATL’s claim, with no independent testing provided in the available materials.

Leasing, 14 Partners, and Dig-Free Stations

The main battery can be leased to reduce the initial cost. According to CN EV News, the billing model for Battery-as-a-Service is also changing. Customers pay for the net energy fed into the battery rather than the energy drawn from it, thus retaining the savings from regenerative braking. CATL claims that with standard tariffs, this can reduce the leasing cost per kWh by up to 20%.

During the presentation, contracts were signed with 14 partners, including SF Express, ZTO Express, and YTO Express, major Chinese courier and logistics companies. The new generation of QiJi stations is designed to swap batteries in 5 minutes. CATL states that it requires no excavation and can be installed within 5 days. The network will also support the older 75# model starting in 2025.

The entire concept depends on how quickly these charging stations can be established. By the end of 2025, CATL was expected to have around 300 QiJi stations. It aims for 900 by the end of this year, 2,000 next year, and ultimately 10,000 in China in partnership with others. The system is designed first for the Chinese market.

Qiyuan and three standards

In summer, CATL acquired nearly 25% of shares in Qiyuan Green Power, China’s largest operator of battery swap stations for trucks. This brings two approaches under one roof. Qiyuan’s system swaps batteries at the back of vehicles and, according to Car News China, is compatible with over 80% of Chinese trucks equipped for swapping, mainly in mines, ports, steel mills, and construction sites. Qiyuan was expected to have more than 1,600 charging and swapping stations in 208 cities by the end of 2025. QiJi operates on vehicle chassis and targets domestic logistics routes. The entire family of swap modules (passenger cars, vans, and trucks) is called Choco-SEB.

Klaus Sekot from Bosch MC Battery Service Innovations told electrive in an interview that there are currently three parallel standards for battery swapping in trucks in China. According to his data, nearly 30,000 new trucks capable of battery swapping were registered there in 2024. He added that Beijing has been deliberately developing this market since the early 2020s for industrial policy reasons.

The materials do not indicate whether CATL plans such a solution in Europe. The next test will be the 900 stations promised by the end of the year.

LovEV Newsletter

Want more content like this?