CATL has unveiled two new, standardized, battery models, #20 and #25, at the Choco-Swap ecosystem conference held in the coastal city of Xiamen. Jointly launched by CATL in collaboration with nearly 100 partners, the CATL-led ecosystem aims to further accelerate the standardization of electric vehicle battery swapping. The conference more broadly aims to create a public service platform by facilitating collaboration between several parties in China, including local automakers, financial institutions, and insurance companies
The #20 and #25 battery models, themselves, offer various capacities, depending on their chemical systems – with each model offering LFP and NMC versions with different energy densities to meet user needs. The LFP version of the #20, for example, offers 42 kWh capacities and a range of 400 km (248 miles), and the NMC version 52kWh capacities with a range of 500 km (310 miles); while the #25 LFP version battery pack offers the same range with 56 kWh capacities, and the NMC version 70 kWh capacities and a range of 372 miles (600 km).
These two standardized batteries are suitable for A0-class and A/B-class vehicles respectively. Affirming its commitment to this standardization, CATL confirmed that its new battery technologies will feature in future Choco-Swap models. The battery company more broadly expects this standardization to help reduce the development costs of battery swappable vehicles, shorten new vehicle development cycles by more than six months, and break the ‘quality, performance, and cost’ trilemma. For customers looking to purchase these batteries, a shift from the traditional purchase process will see them pay according to usage, with CATL saying that this will maximize the value of each battery.
CATL announced the initial rental pricing for the LFP version of swappable battery packs will be split into two plans: unlimited mileage or family. For the #25 battery packs, unlimited mileage will be offered at 599 yuan (£65.37 / $82.09) a month, or 499 yuan (£54.45 / $68.38) for the family plan, while the #20 battery pack is 469 yuan (£51.19 / $64.27) for unlimited mileage or 369 yuan (£40.27 / $50.57) for the family plan.
Further support for the standardization of vehicle battery swapping from CATL will also include the development of a comprehensive network of battery swap stations. In 2025, the company plans to build 1,000 Choco-Swap stations and expand into Hong Kong and Macau. In the mid-term, it expects to build a further 10,000 stations alongside its partners before scaling up its ultimate target of 30,000 stations in the future (although a deadline for this has not yet been specified).
The stations themselves are compatible with wheelbases ranging from 2.55 meters to 3.10 meters, and will be equipped with 14-30 battery compartments, to secure a high space utilization rate. The battery swapping operations at these stations are expected to take 100 seconds, and combine energy storage, charging, and swapping, while supporting ‘battery-to-grid’ in order to serve as distributed energy storage units. Using a cloud-based dispatching platform, CATL can connect these energy storage units to power grids and park photovoltaic systems; enable participation interaction with power grids; intelligently charge batteries during off-peak hours to reduce cost; and provide a second-level response to grid peak load and frequency regulation.
Through Choco-Swap, CATL says, batteries are chargeable, swappable, upgradeable, leasable, purchasable, buy-backable, visible, manageable, and optimizable. Here, users can choose between charging, battery swapping, and battery upgrades, as well as leasing, purchasing, or buyback services.
In developing the Choco-Swap ecosystem, CATL officially announced a series of new collaborations at the conference with Chinese OEMs Changan, GAC, BAIC, Wuling, and FAW. Together, these partnerships will help facilitate the launch of ten future battery swap models, which will be marketed from the end of this year. Further models are set to be revealed at a later date.
The Choco-Swap brand itself, CATL claims, is the first to offer standardized battery swapping with cross-brand, cross-vehicle, and cross-industry service capabilities. Related transactions will also focus on providing a more seamless user experience, considering the entry and exit mechanisms for various transaction scenarios. Partners of the ecosystem specialize in vehicle marketing, battery leasing and sales, battery insurance, and battery testing.
As the ecosystem comes to fruition, CATL envisions a future with its partners where consumers can purchase vehicles, maintain vehicles, and subscribe batteries on e-commerce platforms like JD.com, while insurance companies like PICC, China Life, and CUPI would provide specialized battery insurance that can help reduce premiums from 2,000 yuan (£218.30 / $274.09) to 500 yuan (£54.58 / $68.52) per unit. Meanwhile, financial institutions, such as China Development Bank Leasing and CMB Financial Leasing would lead a shift from financing entire vehicles to vehicles without batteries, resulting in lower purchase cost and safer assets.
Consumers would, in this future, also be able to assess battery value on assessment platforms, sell vehicles without batteries directly on used car platforms like UXIN, and enter into long- or short-term rentals of battery swap vehicles on car rental platforms such as Shenzhou. As of the conference date, the number of partners in the Choco-Swap ecosystem is near 100, while CATL has also signed subscription agreements with 30 companies for more than 100,000 battery packs.
