Huawei's intelligent automotive arm and CATL have agreed to jointly build a smart battery-swap ecosystem, linking autonomous driving with automated refueling. The strategic cooperation agreement was signed on October 19 in Ningde, Fujian Province, between Yinwang Intelligent Technology, a Huawei-affiliated entity, and CATL and its battery-swap subsidiary Times EV Services, according to Gasgoo.
Autonomous swap in 99 seconds
The three parties will integrate data and services across vehicles, swap stations, and the cloud. Using intelligent prediction and scheduling based on battery status and user travel data, vehicles equipped with Huawei's Qiankun ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) will be able to autonomously detect the need for a battery swap, find a station, drive in, and complete the swap in 99 seconds—all without driver intervention. After the swap, the vehicle drives away on its own, completing a fully automated refueling loop.
The partnership targets vehicles equipped with Huawei's Qiankun intelligent automotive solutions, expanding their charging and swapping options. For the industry, this marks a significant addition to Huawei's refueling ecosystem. Previously, Yinwang had established a "10-minute Qiankun smart life circle," covering 2 million charging pile stations, with services including parking payment and smart vehicle maintenance. By integrating CATL's chocolate-shaped battery-swap network, the Qiankun ecosystem now covers both charging and swapping routes.
Charging and swapping converge
In China's new-energy vehicle sector, charging and battery swapping have long developed in parallel. Huawei's Qiankun ADAS now deeply links intelligent driving with swap stations, applying autonomous driving capabilities to high-frequency refueling scenarios beyond road driving. This vehicle-station-cloud coordination model provides a practical template for unmanned refueling in the future era of advanced autonomous driving.
