<
https://thedriven.io/2026/06/23/electric-truck-battery-swap-network-to-be-built-across-europe-by-catl-and-local-utility/>
"British clean energy technology company Octopus Energy and Chinese battery
manufacturing giant CATL will partner to roll out an ultra-fast battery swap
network for electric trucks across the United Kingdom and Europe.
The new venture, named “Swaptopus”, could eventually support in excess of
300,000 electric trucks while unlocking £30 billion worth of private
investment, the two companies say.
The first battery-swapping hubs will be launched in the UK next year, and more
than 30 will be deployed across Europe by 2035.
“We believe the future of land-based transport is electric and autonomous, and
battery swapping is a massive part of the enabling infrastructure,” said
William Rowe, CEO and founder of Swaptopus.
“Not only does it significantly reduce down time but since the batteries at the
swapping stations can be charged and discharged when the grid needs it, they
act as a virtual power plant and in turn lower costs for consumers.”
Unlike the more common charging stations which rely upon both the type of
charger and the car’s electrical charging architecture to dictate the speed
with which an electric vehicle can get back on the road, battery swapping does
exactly what it says on the tin – swaps the battery.
While not just any battery can be swapped out, a region-wide battery-swap
network will allow electric trucks with corresponding batteries to be able to
get on the way again in minutes.
CATL has prioritised the development of its own swappable batteries and
battery-swapping stations and has also begun partnering with other Chinese
peers to begin building common battery swapping networks.
CATL signed a strategic partnership with Chinese electric carmaker Nio in March
2025 to create the “largest and most advanced battery swapping service network
for passenger vehicles” in the world. But the agreement also aimed to promote
the standardisation of battery swapping technologies."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
