There’s a CATL battery in just about every EV you can name, so it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about electrifying mobility at scale. Now, they’ve turned their attention to heavy trucks – and their proposed universal battery swap solution for HDEVs could be just the thing to clean up that “messy middle.”
The culmination of the QIJI Energy project launched in June 2023, the goal was to advance the adoption of battery swap technology in the heavy truck segment. To that end, CATL revealed a new, standardized battery pack it’s calling “75#” at a special event help on yesterday (18MAY2025) in Datong, Shanxi province in northwest China.
The CATL subsidiary’s CEO, Yang Jun, says the company has been working behind the scenes with a dozen heavy truck, terminal tractor, and heavy equipment manufacturers to develop more than 30 battery swap-enabled electric vehicles capable of running on 75#.
Battery swap semi trucks are here
Once on the job, those vehicles will have access to 300 battery swap stations serving heavy trucks in 13 core regions in China by the end of 2025, and a battery swap network covering another 16 city clusters by 2030. And, because these CATL 73#-equipped HDEVs can still just “plug in” when a swap site is unavailable or time is less of a factor, those impressive numbers are providing options that are in addition to the growing international network of DC fast charging stations being deployed for heavy duty trucks and equipment assets.
CATL believes that the electric semi truck industry will experience explosive growth in the next three years. Robin Zeng, chairman and CEO of CATL, says they expect to see a 50% take rate for electrified trucks globally, with that growth fueled both by the growing appetite for zero-emission solutions and the ever-present push to reduce the cost of logistical operations.
No word yet on whether or not this kind of technology is coming to North America, but it looks like Europe and Australia are for sure on CATL’s to-do list.
Electrek’s Take
Whether we’re talking about NIO cars and SUVs, Gogoro two wheelers, or just about every Milwaukee and Makita power tool on the job sites you pass every day, battery swap technology is one of those things that just works. Despite the evidence of their own senses, however, there’s still a big contingent in the EV community that think they wants to “own” their batteries. But commercial fleet buyers are a different breed. In their world, if something makes cents it makes sense, and the uptime, efficiency, and peace of mind electric truckers could realize with a battery swap solution could make a whole lot of cents.
Ownership, in other words, might be an outdated concept. When it comes to batteries, that’s certainly my take. We’re curious to hear yours in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: QIJI Energy, via CN EV Post; Reuters.
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