CATL (HKEX: 3750) has unveiled a dual-electric range extension battery for heavy-duty trucks, pairing a swappable main battery with an independent on-board battery as it expands its push in freight electrification.
The world’s largest EV battery maker introduced the system in Beijing on Tuesday, alongside upgrades to its Qiji battery-swapping system aimed at reducing fleets’ energy replenishment and battery costs.
The system consists of 2 independent battery systems: a standardized, chassis-mounted swappable main battery and a 77-kWh range-extension battery behind the cab. The latter supports 3C charging and provides backup power.
Drivers of conventional battery-swapping trucks typically return to swap stations with about 30% charge remaining to avoid running out of power en route, leaving part of their leased battery capacity unused, CATL said.
With the backup battery, the system can increase the main battery’s depth of discharge (DOD) from about 70% to more than 95%, allowing trucks to return to a swap station with less than 5% charge remaining in the main battery.
The system can switch power delivery to the range-extension battery within milliseconds, maintaining uninterrupted power and providing redundancy under demanding operating conditions, the company said.
It uses what CATL calls a “1+X” architecture. The main battery remains standardized for compatibility with the Qiji swapping network, while the range-extension battery can be tailored to requirements such as low-temperature performance, high energy density or high power.
The 2 battery systems can be upgraded independently. The range-extension battery stays with the vehicle as an on-board asset, while the main battery can be leased flexibly according to seasonal freight demand, helping fleets reduce rental expenses during idle periods.
Alongside the new system, Qiji introduced the 260# and 300# standardized swappable batteries, with capacities of 432 kWh and 513 kWh, respectively, complementing its existing 75# battery.
The new-generation Qiji station can complete a battery swap in 5 minutes and reduces construction costs by 10%, CATL said. It requires no excavation pit and can be deployed in as little as 5 days.
The company also changed the billing method for its battery-as-a-service (BaaS) offering, charging customers for net energy charged rather than energy discharged, allowing them to retain the benefits of regenerative braking.
The change can reduce per-kWh battery rental costs for users on basic plans by up to 20%, further improving the economics of operating electric heavy-duty trucks, according to CATL.
The company plans to have 900 heavy-duty truck battery-swap stations operating by the end of 2026 and expand to 2,000 by 2027. Its long-term goal is to deploy 10,000 stations across China with partners.
Agreements covering 13,000 vehicles were signed at the event, with orders for battery-swapping products from major logistics companies including SF Holding and China Postal Express & Logistics.
The launch comes amid a rapid increase in new energy vehicle (NEV) penetration in China’s heavy-duty truck market. New energy heavy-duty trucks accounted for 50% of the segment in September, up from 29% a year earlier, according to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) analysis of compulsory traffic insurance data.
CATL launched its Qiji Energy heavy-duty truck battery-swapping solution in June 2023 and introduced the 75# standardized swappable truck battery in May 2025, expanding its presence in logistics.
On June 30 this year, the company signed a strategic cooperation agreement with J&T Express to provide swappable batteries, swap-station equipment, and operation and maintenance services for more than 5,000 heavy-duty trucks.
Beyond the dual-electric range extension system, CATL also unveiled truck batteries for different transport applications, including ultra-light and ultra-thin packs mounted behind the cab, as well as chassis-mounted batteries for short-haul and long-haul operations.
This article was first published by Phate Zhang on CnEVPost, a website focusing on new energy vehicle news from China.
