Battery swapping, a technology many in the industry had written off, is gaining another heavyweight partner. Electrek reports that Yinwang, the Huawei-controlled automotive unit also known as Newcool, signed a strategic cooperation framework with CATL and its swap subsidiary CAES on Monday. CATL's Choco-swap network already has 2,520 stations across about 200 Chinese cities.
In a battery swap system, a driver pulls into a station and a robotic system replaces the car's depleted battery with a charged one, in a few minutes. This avoids waiting for charging, and the battery can be owned by the swap company and leased to drivers, which lowers the upfront cost of the vehicle. The drawback is that cars must be designed to accept standardised batteries, and stations need large stocks of packs.
I have only seen Electrek's summary, so I do not know the details of the agreement, including which models would be compatible or when services will begin. The report notes that CATL, the world's largest battery maker, now has another powerful partner, which suggests that swap compatibility is expanding in China. Huawei's involvement in smart cars gives it influence over many brands.
For drivers, the benefit of swapping would be speed and convenience, particularly for taxis and heavy users. For the industry, the question is whether standardisation will spread beyond China, where charging and swapping are both being expanded. Outside China, fast charging has become the dominant approach, as seen in the 710 kW charging claim for the Mercedes-AMG GT SUV. Watch for announcements on which vehicles will support swapping and for any plans to export the system.
