CATL Plans 30-Plus Battery Swap Stations for Electric Trucks Across Europe
IT-NEWS, June 22 — China’s CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, has set its sights on European freight with an ambitious plan to build more than 30 battery swap stations for electric trucks across the continent by 2035. In partnership with Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest home energy supplier, the venture aims to push the total cost of running an electric truck below that of a diesel equivalent — a tipping point that could reshape the logistics industry.
The two companies announced a 50/50 joint venture at an event in London this week, with the first swap stations expected to open in the United Kingdom as early as next year. The full network is designed to serve more than 300,000 electric trucks and could catalyze over £30 billion (roughly ¥269.4 billion) in private investment across Europe, according to projections shared by the partners.
The core proposition is straightforward. Rather than waiting nearly an hour for a fast charge, a truck can pull into a swap station and have its depleted battery exchanged for a fully charged one in under five minutes. Luo Haining, CATL’s head of overseas investment, said the system can replace an entire battery pack exceeding 500 kWh in that window — “faster than refueling a diesel truck.” Because fleet operators do not need to purchase the battery along with the vehicle, the model also slashes upfront acquisition costs. Centralized charging and professional battery management extend pack lifespan, and a standardized swap ecosystem simplifies end-of-life recycling, Luo added.
Octopus Energy founder Greg Jackson put the economics in plain terms. “Under the current swap model, operating an electric truck will cost less than a diesel truck today,” he said. The Iran conflict has driven diesel prices higher, but Jackson argued that even if fuel costs retreat, the two technologies would be roughly on par — with the critical difference that battery swap costs will continue to decline year after year.
The European push follows CATL founder Zeng Yuqun’s forecast that pure electric vehicles will capture half of China’s truck market by 2028. With Europe’s tightening emissions regulations and growing corporate pressure to decarbonize supply chains, the swap-station model offers a pathway that sidesteps two of the biggest obstacles to electric truck adoption: downtime and capital cost. Whether Europe’s fragmented haulage industry — dominated by small and medium operators — embraces the swap model as readily as Chinese fleets remains an open question, but the bet is substantial and the timeline is now public.