At Auto Guangzhou 2025 on November 21, CATL and SAIC Commercial Vehicle $3750 (-0,38%) and SAIC Commercial Vehicle announced a far-reaching strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the electrification and digitalization of commercial transportation.
The two companies will collaborate on joint technology development, ecosystem building and global expansion, and plan to create an integrated network connecting vehicles, batteries, swap stations and cloud platforms. The initiative aims to modernize logistics and urban delivery and drive commercial mobility towards a more efficient and carbon-free future.
SAIC Commercial Vehicle, a leading commercial mobility company in China, has focused its business on logistics, urban mobility and intelligent driving solutions. Since the company initiated the transition to new energy vehicle technologies, CATL has been a key partner, providing advanced battery systems and energy solutions that drive electrification.
The partnership also extends to powertrain innovations. SAIC's Maxus Dana series uses CATL's new "TIANXING battery", which is characterized by high energy density, durability and fast-charging capability, setting new standards for light commercial vehicles with electric drive. At the same time, the companies plan to expand the use of their "Choco-Swap" model, which has been tested in logistics fleets and is expected to significantly improve charging efficiency and CO2 neutrality in urban delivery and public transportation.
CATL emphasizes that the battery swap is not just a hardware replacement, but a redefinition of operational efficiency for commercial fleets. Its wholly owned subsidiary Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology Ltd. has developed the Choco-Swap system, which allows a battery to be swapped in just three minutes, dramatically increasing vehicle utilization and reducing downtime. The company plans to expand its network of battery swap stations to 140 cities by 2026, providing a more flexible and faster energy supply option to a wide range of commercial users.
CATL emphasizes that battery swapping is not just a hardware replacement, but a redefinition of operational efficiency for commercial fleets. Wholly-owned subsidiary Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology Ltd. has developed the Choco-Swap system, which allows a battery to be swapped out in just three minutes, dramatically increasing vehicle utilization and reducing downtime. The company plans to expand its network of battery swap stations to 140 cities by 2026, providing a more flexible and faster way for a wide range of commercial users to recharge their batteries.
Further collaboration will focus on an integrated operational framework connecting vehicles, batteries, battery swap infrastructure and cloud-based management systems. By combining capabilities in intelligent driving and automated energy supply, the companies aim to build a seamless smart energy service chain. Internationally, CATL and SAIC Commercial Vehicle will coordinate their overseas expansion strategies and pool their resources to meet global battery regulations and CO2 compliance requirements while strengthening the competitiveness of Chinese commercial NEVs in global markets.
The expanded partnership marks a shift from product-level collaboration to joint ecosystem development and signals a broader industry movement toward cleaner and more efficient commercial transportation. Both companies plan to further refine the battery swap ecosystem and contribute to smarter urban infrastructure, giving new impetus to the modernization of transportation and energy systems in China and beyond.