CATL – one of the world’s largest producers of batteries – currently supplies a number of automakers with those units, and will also license lithium-iron phosphate battery technology to Ford, which it will use to build LFP batteries at the future BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site. Meanwhile, CATL continues to innovate in that space, recently debuting a new kind of LFP battery that it claims will result in a driving range of 1,000 kilometers, or 621 miles. Now, CATL has revealed something else that holds a lot of promise – a battery swap ecosystem for EVs.
“We will continue to promote the standardization of battery swapping, with the key being the standardization of battery dimensions,” said Robin Zeng, founder, chairman, and CEO of CATL. Zeng announced the launch of two standard Choco-Swap batteries dubbed #20 and #25, which are capable of being swapped out for fresh packs when they’re depleted, while both are offered in either an LFP or NMC version. The #20 LFP battery pack features 42 kWh of capacity and a range of 400 kilometers (249 miles), while the NMC version offers up a 52 kWh capacity and a range of 500 kilometers (311 miles). As for #25 LFP battery pack, it has 56 kWh of capacity and a range of 500 kilometers (311 miles), while the NMC version offers 70 kWh of capacity and a range of 600 kilometers (373 miles).
CATL pointed out that consumers won’t be paying for these battery packs when they swap them out, but rather, costs will base on their usage. The company plans to build 1,000 Choco-Swap stations by the end of 2025, a number that will expand to around 30,000 in the coming years. By 2030, CATL expects battery swapping to account for around one-third of the overall market, with each station containing 14-30 battery packs with a total storage capacity of 33.6 million kWh.
The concept of battery swapping is nothing new, and in fact, Ford has published two patents outlining different ways it could bring this technology to life in the future. One revolves around the concept of swapping out batteries that are located in the frunk or rear cargo area, while the other would raise the vehicle to access the battery pack, remove it, and slide it out of the way before a new, fully charged pack rolls in from the other direction and replaces it.
Comments
Ok- so the idea is finally catching on. NIO, another Chinese based EV company pioneered this idea years ago. Good to see others recognize the wisdom in this.
If EVs are ever to become more popular, they need to be more capable and cost less than the ICE equivalent. Smart people would realize that, if you can swap out a battery in under 30 seconds, that is more convenient than pumping gas. So, that is a “win” in the EV column. Having people sit in line and at a charger for 45 minutes is a losing sales proposition. Battery swap = fast. Therefore, battery swap = better. Therefore, sales go up.
There must be a bunch of government money involved in this.