CATL $3750 (+2.68%) intends to increase the number of its battery changing stations by a factor of 1.5 next year, bringing it closer to its current annual target.
The Chinese battery giant plans to operate over 2,500 battery exchange stations in more than 120 Chinese cities by 2026, as its subsidiary Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology (CAES) announced today.
The number of battery exchange stations operated by CAES rose to 700 today (target 1000 in 2025), covering 39 Chinese cities.
In the fourth quarter, CATL is aiming to reach its target of operating 1,000 battery swap stations by the end of 2025, according to CAES.
CATL officially entered the battery swap sector on January 18, 2022 with the launch of its CAES-operated battery swap brand EVOGO. Previously, Nio$9866 (+0.15%) was the leading provider in this sector.
On December 18, 2024, CATL presented standardized battery packs for passenger cars at a Choco-SEB (Swapping Electric Block) conference and announced an ambitious infrastructure expansion plan.
The company aimed to have 1,000 battery swapping stations by 2025 and 10,000 in the medium term.
CATL announced last December that the first 1,000 stations will be built by CAES, while stations 1,001 to 10,000 will be built jointly by CAES and partners.
CATL's long-term goal is to expand its battery swap network to 30,000 stations. The 20,000th to 30,000th station is to be built in cooperation.
Last December, two new standardized Choco-SEB battery packs named No. 20 and No. 25 were introduced - similar to the gasoline grades in China named No. 92, No. 95 and No. 98.
By 2030, battery swapping, home charging and public charging will each meet one-third of the energy needs of electric vehicle owners, said Robin Zeng, founder, chairman and CEO of CATL.
