Battery giant CATL has launched a new heavy-truck battery system it calls the Tianxing II "electric-electric range extender" (EREV) version, designed to cut the upfront cost of electric trucks and ease range anxiety on long-haul routes. The company unveiled the system at a Beijing event on October 20, alongside a standardized battery-swap network for freight corridors, according to Chinese auto media outlet PCauto.
How the 'electric-electric' system works
The Tianxing II splits the traditional underfloor swappable battery into two parts: a leased underfloor pack (Part A) and a portable range-extender pack (Part B) that travels with the truck. By separating the vehicle from the battery, buyers no longer need to purchase the battery outright, bringing the initial purchase cost roughly in line with diesel trucks. CATL said it signed cooperation agreements with logistics and express-delivery firms including China Post, SF Express, STO and YTO, with an initial batch of 13,000 trucks covered.
The range-extender pack serves as a safety net. Traditional swap trucks typically return to swapping stations with around 30% state of charge (SOC), but with the extender system the underfloor battery can be deeply discharged, bringing return SOC below 5%. When the main pack is low, the system seamlessly switches to the extender battery, avoiding downtime. CATL estimates that with an average daily haul of 400 km, the annual energy cost per truck is about 130,000 yuan (about $18,300) less than a diesel truck, and the three-year total cost of ownership is about 70,000 yuan (about $9,900) less than a battery-owned electric truck and over 460,000 yuan (about $64,800) less than diesel.
Swap network expansion and charging options
CATL's Qiji swap network will standardize its battery modules. The company unveiled two standardized swap blocks: the 260# (432 kWh, for trucks with a 3.8-metre wheelbase) and the 300# (513 kWh, for 4.2-metre wheelbase trucks). The new Swap Station 3.0 maintains a 5-minute swap time with a 99.99% first-attempt success rate, boosts daily service capacity by 28%, and cuts construction costs by 10%. CATL plans to have 900 swap stations by the end of this year, 2,000 by 2027, and a long-term target of 10,000. It said five freight corridors, including Guangdong-Shanghai and Chengdu-Wuhan, are already operating, with over 5 million km of stable operation.
CATL also launched four charging battery products for different scenarios: short-haul standard loading, construction dump trucks, mountain-port narrow roads, and long-haul trunk routes. These include the Tianxing II back-hung ultra-light version, back-hung ultra-thin version, underfloor short-wheelbase version, and underfloor long-range version. The long-range version packs 760 kWh for a single-charge range of over 600 km, supports an 800V platform, adds 300 km of range in 20 minutes of charging, and comes with a 1.5-million-km warranty.
The company said electric heavy-truck penetration in China has risen from 5.2% in 2022 to 28.9% in 2025, reaching 50.28% in September 2026. CATL said over 430,000 electric heavy trucks in China already use its batteries, accounting for more than 70% of the segment. It also launched a "Qiji Swap Ecosystem" with 14 truck makers and dealers including FAW Jiefang, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle and Sinotruk, offering "battery partner" and "charging partner" cooperation models.
