First CATL battery swap station in Jiangsu province is launched in Wuxi on Aug 22. [Photo/Wuxi Daily]
The first battery swap station in Jiangsu province, jointly built by CATL, the world's leading battery manufacturer, and State Grid Electric Vehicle Service, commenced operations in Wuxi on Aug 22.
The battery swap station occupies a small area, roughly the size of a standard shipping container. When drivers pull their new energy vehicles into the station, they don't need to exit their vehicle. By simply issuing a command on their mobile phone, the station automatically performs the battery swap on the vehicle's underside, taking significantly less time than refueling a gasoline vehicle.
Luo Jun, general manager of the Jiangsu-Shaanxi Region for CATL's Era Electric Service Technology, explained that the swap stations are compatible with vehicle wheelbases ranging from 2.55 to 3.1 meters. Each station is equipped with 14 to 30 battery compartments and can complete a swap in just 100 seconds, with a maximum daily service capacity of 822 swaps per station.
Next month, Wuxi will open five more such battery swap stations, bringing the total number of stations in the city to over 30 by the end of the year. The city's core areas will have a swap station within a 10-minute drive of all residents.
CATL also plans to build over 140 such battery swap stations across Jiangsu by the end of this year, covering key cities such as Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou, and Changzhou. By the end of next year, all prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu will have full coverage, with the total number of stations exceeding 300.
The CATL's battery swap service is available for ride-hailing vehicles, taxis, and private cars, currently covering over 20 swap-compatible models from automakers such as FAW, Changan, GAC, BAIC, SAIC, and Chery.
