Global gigant gigant battery Catl plans to import its fast battery replacement technology (Swap) to Europe. But many obstacles remain behind this declaration of the intention.
The largest battery manufacturer for electric vehicles in the world claims to be ‘ huge potential To replace the battery in Europe. In a statement made in the Financial Times 26 June 2025 Jiang LI, Secretary of the Council of Catl, assures that the battery replacement system – such as the one that is currently developing in China – can land well on the NIO: batteries that have not been won in a few minutes. Just say that it deserves to dwell.
In China, Catl has strong ambitions to develop its system called “Choco-SEB”, capable of changing the battery in less than 5 minutes. In Europe, the ambition is less clear. Jiang li, one of the group leaders, says technology could quite find its place. Discussions would have been taking place with several European manufacturers to create a form of standardization. But besides enthusiastic claims, everything that needs to be done, or rather do it again.
Battery replacement, fake good idea?
Installing and deploying stations of replaceable batteries expensive – although the setting is also a costly station of the fast charging terminal. Each battery replacement station requires mechanical weapons, heavy logistics and batteries in stock, and therefore immobilized money.
In order to be profitable, these installations must be used, and therefore car manufacturers must play a game by designing compatible models. Today, this is not the case in Europe, with the exception of the Chinese manufacturer Nio, which has already started to set up its own battery stations in northern Europe (in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany).
Already in 2012, Renault made an attempt at a swap battery on its model of fluency in Denmark and Israel, but experience ended in 2013 by failure. Nio is therefore not the first car manufacturer to offer this solution to its customers, but the first has put them on a larger scale in China. Although the promise of a full battery recovery in 3 to 5 minutes attracted customers, the brand is still trying to make its equipment profitable in China. And it’s probably even more problematic at sixty European Nio Power Swap stations, because the sale of electric cars is low in Europe. Fiat also tried the adventure in 2025 with Free2move and in Spain on the Fleet of 40 Fiat 500E. It remains to be seen whether this experiment will bring fruit.
The control frame is another difficulty in size. In China, Catl and Nio are developing in an ecosystem designed to facilitate this kind of initiatives. In Europe, standards are stricter, higher costs and less obvious profitability. Even Catl acknowledges: It’s ” a more complicated and slower On the old continent. In the end, we must also convince customers that the system is more interesting for them, and at this point, the interest of the swap batteries is always discussed in the face of charging with more and faster terminals.
Project in a blurred term
The Catl announcement primarily has a test value, to see the reactions, the probe interest and test the feasibility. Before attacking the European market, the battery giant must first succeed in China: 1,000 stations at the end of 2025 and 10,000 stations in three years depending on the target.
Therefore, no maturity has been provided for Europe for the moment. We are in the Declaration of the intention, so far in the phase of specific deployment. Europe remains a strategic market, but it is likely that Catl first tries to consolidate this activity (in China) rather than renewing tomorrow around the world.
Absolutely, swap batteries have assets: less waiting, extended battery life and the possibility of lightening the purchase price of the vehicle. But without political will and without the matching of manufacturers, the project will remain miracle. The idea that the battery manufacturer is running, common to many manufacturers (including Europeans) could change the situation, more than if one or more manufacturers were launched in isolation.
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(Tagstotranslate) Catl battery