CATL's 100-station battery swapping program launched in Kunming

CATL has significantly accelerated the deployment of its battery swapping network this year. At the end of April, CATL disclosed that it had just over 1,470 battery swapping stations; by the end of June, the number of stations had increased to 2,000, covering 180 cities.

Currently, Kunming has announced a plan to establish 100 battery swapping stations in the city. As the stations become more densely distributed, the requirements for battery swapping vehicles and operating vehicles also increase.

On August 26, Wall Street News learned from Times Electric Service that Times Electric Service signed a cooperation agreement with Kunming Development New Energy, a state-owned enterprise in Kunming, to jointly build 100 chocolate-shaped battery swapping stations in Kunming.

According to the agreement, Kunming Development New Energy will undertake the asset investment and provide site, vehicle replacement resources, and local coordination; Times Electric Service will provide battery swapping standards, operating systems, and digital platforms. The two parties also plan to unify battery configuration, pricing, and services.

The heavy asset investment in the stations is placed on the local platform side, while CATL enters with technology and operations. Kunming Development New Energy is not only contributing funds, but also solving the problems of site and vehicle resources.

The battery swapping business has been stuck here. Too few stations discourage automakers and users from joining; too rapid expansion of stations leads to a shortage of vehicles, resulting in a large amount of idle assets. While concentrated construction in a single city can shorten the distance to find stations, it also concentrates the pressure of utilization on a single market. Ultimately, the 100 stations in Kunming will have to be absorbed by locally introduced battery swapping vehicles.

CATL is also accelerating its efforts with partners to fill gaps in vehicle model coverage this year. In April 2026, Chocolate Battery Swapping announced that it had partnered with 11 automakers across 18 passenger vehicle brands and 25 models. BAIC launched the Jihu S3 battery swapping version, while Chery plans to jointly develop a dedicated model with CATL.

However, there are currently relatively few models specifically designed for battery swapping. Many products are modified from existing charging models, and dedicated models may not be launched until the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027. The construction of the charging station network has accelerated, but model development and end-user sales will still take time.

Kunming Development New Energy included vehicle replacement resources in the agreement to ensure that stations and vehicles are deployed as simultaneously as possible. With local state-owned assets providing funding and coordinating vehicles, Era Electric Service can accelerate station deployment while retaining battery standards and operational systems. For Kunming Development New Energy, slower vehicle introduction will extend the investment recovery period.

Wall Street Insights also learned that following Kunming, Times Electric Services will successively announce several more "100-station" projects in single cities. Kunming is just one of them. Multiple projects will subsequently enter construction, and Times Electric Services will face the parallel delivery of projects in multiple cities.

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