Chinese battery giant CATL has unveiled a target to operate 3,000 battery swapping stations in 2027 across China, Kallanish reports.

Company’s chief technology officer Gao Huan disclosed the short-term target at the World Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Battery Conference, held on 1-2 September in Sichuan. “For the long run, the goal is to reach 10,000 swapping stations nationwide,” he added. 

According to his speech, CATL plans to cover over 30 cities with more than 500 swapping stations next year. In 2026, the network should increase to over 70 cities and 1,500 stations.

The company did not disclose the total number of swapping stations it currently has. However, in the city of Xiamen – where it deployed its first stations – it has 12 swapping stations in operation now. 

As of late August, CATL’s competitor Nio had a network with 2,495 battery swapping stations. 

During the conference, CATL also provided updates on its two battery signature series: QIlin and Shenxing.

The former has four versions – super-charging, long mileage range, omnipotent and superpower. The super-charging version can realise a range of 500 kilometres after a 12-minute charge and is featured on Zeekr, Avatr, Xiaomi and Li Auto models.

The long mileage range version uses series-nine ternary cathode materials, and has been used on the Zeekr 001 last year. The model’s mileage range is 1,000 km.

The omnipotent version released this year was first used on Xiaomi SU7 Max. It can boost the mileage range by 500 km after a 15-minute charge, and the total mileage range can exceed 800 km. 

The superpower version is used on the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra model launched in August, and its power has reached 1,300 kilowatts. It can help the car to accelerate from zero to 100 km/second within two seconds, CATL claims.

Meanwhile, the Shenxing battery is available in three versions: plus, long life, and omnipotent. 

The plus version can help vehicles realise a range of 1,000 km. The long-life version has a warranty of ten years or 1 million km, targeting taxis with a price range of CNY 150,000 ($21,079).

The omnipotent version has an 800-km range and was first used on Xiaomi’s SU7 Pro version released in March.