# CATL and BAIC Sign Battery-Swap Pact to Target 1 Million EVs *The partnership links Beijing Automotive's dealer network to CATL's modular Choco-Swap stations, easing grid congestion while setting a commercial standard for shared electric vehicle infrastructure.* **Published:** October 22, 2026 **By:** Lian Chen **Section:** Batteries & Electric Vehicles — China **Format:** Breaking **Confidence:** medium **Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/batteries-ev/catl-baic-sign-battery-swap-pact-target-1-million-872 **Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/) --- ## What to know - CATL and BAIC target one million battery-swapping electric vehicles across China - BAIC opens nationwide dealership footprint to CATL's 2,520 operational swap stations - CAES begins dealer site inspections in November 2026 for 2027 station rollout ![Workers stand beside an electric vehicle undergoing an automated battery swap along conveyor tracks at a charging facility. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-10-22-17cd007f00f3.webp) *Workers stand beside an electric vehicle undergoing an automated battery swap along conveyor tracks at a charging facility. (AI-generated image)* Contemporary Amperex Technology signed a strategic partnership agreement with BAIC Group on Oct. 22, 2026 to build a shared battery-swapping ecosystem targeting one million electric vehicles across Chinese cities. The target represents the first million-vehicle deployment pledge for a third-party battery-swapping network. The figure accounts for roughly 12% of China's annual pure-electric passenger car deliveries, according to ministry registration figures. Under the agreement signed in Beijing, the state-owned automaker will adapt multiple passenger car brands to CATL’s Choco-Swap modular platform. The partners will co-develop swap-compatible platforms and shared charging infrastructure. BAIC Vice General Manager Zhang Guofu and Yang Jun, head of CATL’s battery-swapping unit CAES, signed the agreement. BAIC Chairman Zhang Jianyong and CATL Chairman Robin Zeng attended the ceremony. BAIC agreed to open its nationwide franchised dealer network to host swapping facilities, the company said. CATL will build stations directly on or adjacent to dealership properties across provincial capitals. The joint deployment will explore a shared revenue model between dealers and station operators. The goal is to build a 10-minute urban swapping radius that eliminates charging queues for metropolitan drivers. The platform relies on vehicle-battery separation — a commercial model where drivers purchase the car body and lease the battery pack. That arrangement cuts the upfront vehicle purchase price by more than a third. Commercial deployment builds on the Arcfox Beta S3 electric sedan, launched on May 22 as the first passenger car using CATL’s Choco-Swap architecture. The model completed its development through an earlier joint engineering agreement. The swappable Beta S3 sells from 59,800 yuan ($8,400) without the battery, accompanied by a battery rental fee of 599 yuan ($84) a month. Roughly 76% of early buyers chose the swappable variant, BAIC said. The vehicle swaps a depleted battery block for a charged pack in 99 seconds at automated stations. Drivers do not need to exit the cabin during the automated alignment and unbolting sequence. BAIC also rolled out a battery-swapping version of its Beijing EU8 sedan for commercial fleets. The model uses CATL’s No. 25 standard battery block and provides a driving range of 535 kilometers on a single charge. Commercial ride-hailing fleets represent a primary volume channel for the partnership. Swapping allows commercial taxi operators to avoid midday charging halts, keeping vehicles in service during high-demand passenger hours. Both vehicle lines use standardized Choco-SEB packs — modular swappable electric blocks that fit into universal chassis bays. Automakers can install one or two blocks to adjust total driving range. The alliance addresses mounting power grid congestion caused by ultra-fast direct-current chargers. High-power charging stations create megawatt-scale demand spikes on local transformers during peak afternoon hours, straining urban distribution networks. Battery-swapping stations ease transformer strain by drawing power during off-peak night hours to replenish battery reserves. The buffered architecture keeps equipment utilization rates above 85%, CATL said in engineering disclosures. The stations also integrate supercharging dispensers that share transformers directly with internal battery storage racks. That direct link eliminates repeated power conversion stages, cutting distribution losses by 13 percentage points. The companies agreed to transfer circulating battery assets into specialized asset-management companies known as battery banks. These holding firms own the battery blocks, manage lease billing and handle second-life grid storage retirement. The automakers widened that partnership at the Auto China exhibition in Beijing on April 25. Under that accord, BAIC pledged to develop swappable versions of its Arcfox T5, S5, T6 and S6 sport utility vehicles. CATL operated 2,520 battery-swapping stations across 200 cities in 31 Chinese provinces as of September 2026, according to company operating data. The company has brought six major domestic automakers into the Choco-Swap network. CATL plans to expand its operational footprint to 3,000 swapping stations across 190 cities by Dec. 31, 2026. The battery maker maintains a long-term deployment objective of 30,000 stations nationwide. The BAIC alliance intensifies pressure on premium electric vehicle maker Nio, which operates over 2,500 battery-swapping stations across China. Nio’s network primarily serves its proprietary brand vehicles rather than high-volume mass-market fleets. The companies have not published the total capital expenditure earmarked for the joint deployment, and the signing announcement did not specify a completion year for the one million vehicles. Engineering teams from CAES will begin inspecting prospective BAIC dealership sites in November, according to the partnership schedule. Initial joint pilot stations will enter commercial service in Beijing and Hebei province by early 2027. ## Impact map | Event | Korea | China | Japan | Global impact | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | CATL-BAIC battery swap alliance | LG Energy Solution and SK On face lower swap penetration in China passenger car market | BAIC scales battery-as-a-service sales while CATL broadens Choco-Swap standard across state-owned fleets | Toyota and Honda commercial EV plans confront Chinese standard lock-in for urban taxi fleets | EV fleet operators cut downtime as battery swapping expands from commercial niche to mass passenger vehicles | ## In this story - **Companies:** Contemporary Amperex Technology, BAIC Group - **Tickers:** 300750.SZ, 1958.HK - **Exposed:** Nio - **Policy:** Standards, Subsidies - **Impact:** Supply Chain, Capex, Cost Structure ## Primary sources 1. sina.com.cn 2. d1ev.com 3. yicai.com 4. cs.com.cn 5. guandian.cn --- Cite as: East Asia Brief, "CATL and BAIC Sign Battery-Swap Pact to Target 1 Million EVs," October 22, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/batteries-ev/catl-baic-sign-battery-swap-pact-target-1-million-872