CATL, the world's largest battery maker, has launched a new heavy-truck battery system and a battery-swap ecosystem designed to push the commercial vehicle sector into the era of battery swapping. The company unveiled the Tianxing II "electric-electric range extender" (EE-REX) at an event in Beijing on October 20, according to Chinese automotive outlet Sina Auto.
The EE-REX system splits the under-floor battery into two independent packs: an A-pack that is swapped at stations and a B-pack that stays with the vehicle as a range extender. This "A+B" architecture allows the main drive battery to be leased rather than purchased, cutting upfront costs to levels comparable with diesel trucks. The system enables deep discharge of the main battery, reducing the state of charge at return from about 30% to below 5%, and can switch to the range-extender pack in milliseconds to maintain power. CATL says a full swap takes just five minutes.
CATL also introduced the Qiji battery-swap ecosystem, including standardized swap blocks (260# with 432 kWh and 300# with 513 kWh) and a new generation of swap stations. The company claims the stations can serve nearly 200 trucks per day, use only two standard parking spaces, and achieve a five-fold improvement in energy service efficiency per unit of land. CATL plans to build 900 swap stations by the end of 2026, 2,000 by 2027, and eventually 10,000, targeting full coverage of China's national highway network.
Market momentum and economics
The launch comes as electric heavy trucks gain rapid traction in China. According to Sina Auto, the penetration rate of electric heavy trucks rose from 5.2% in 2022 to 28.9% in 2025, and reached 50.28% in September 2026 alone. CATL executives argue that the "oil vs. electric" battle is over, and the industry is entering an "electric vs. electric" phase where total cost of ownership and residual value matter most.
CATL claims the EE-REX system delivers a 20% reduction in per-kWh rental costs for basic plans, and that a truck traveling 400 km per day can save 130,000 yuan (about $18,300) annually in energy costs compared with a diesel truck. Over three years, total cost of ownership is said to be 70,000 yuan (about $9,900) lower than a battery-owned electric truck and more than 460,000 yuan (about $64,800) lower than a diesel truck.
The company also highlighted that battery-swap stations use slow, orderly charging that helps smooth grid load, avoiding the peak demand spikes of high-power fast charging. CATL's CTO for passenger and commercial vehicles, Gao Huan, noted that while high-rate charging (10C or 15C) is technically possible for heavy trucks, it is economically unviable due to heat losses and accelerated battery degradation.
Partnerships and rollout
CATL signed agreements with multiple logistics and industrial companies, including China Post, SF Express, and YTO Express, for an initial 13,000 units of the Tianxing II EE-REX. The company also launched two partnership models—"Qiji Battery Partners" and "Qiji Charging Partners"—and said it aims to recruit 1,000 partners this year and 10,000 over three years. CATL also introduced battery rental schemes that charge based on electricity consumption, with regenerative energy credited to users, and flexible rental terms.
In addition to the EE-REX, CATL unveiled four charging products for different heavy-truck applications: the Tianxing II rear-mounted ultra-light version, the thinnest rear-mounted battery in the industry, a short-wheelbase under-floor version, and a long-range version. The company said the ultra-light battery is half a tonne lighter than industry average for the same energy, potentially increasing annual earnings by 12,000 yuan (about $1,700) per truck in short-haul duty.
CATL's push into heavy-truck battery swapping aligns with China's national strategy to build zero-carbon highway corridors. The company said its Qiji network will coordinate with provincial transport authorities and highway operators to build a national heavy-truck charging and swapping network.
