Drivers could soon benefit from revolutionary technology that allows them to avoid the hassle of plugging in their electric cars and instead swap their batteries out.
The UK currently has almost 80,000 public charging devices, with a goal of installing 300,000 chargers by the end of the decade to prepare for the influx of EV drivers.
Labour has moved one step closer to realising its goal of reaching 300,000 chargers by removing red tape, allowing drivers and businesses to install EV chargers without planning permission.
However, a Chinese company could revolutionise charging to work alongside existing home, workplace and public charging stations.
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CATL aims to have 1,000 battery swap stations for EVs across China by the end of the year
CATL
CATL, a Ningde-based company, has launched a battery swap ecosystem, which could see "Choco-Swap" power units switched out in less than two minutes.
The battery manufacturer has a #20 battery pack option, which delivers a range of 400km, up to its #25 NMC battery that provides up to 600km of range.
CATL already has bold plans to expand, with the aim of building 1,000 Choco-Swap stations by the end of the year, as well as branching out into Hong Kong and Macau.
Its mid-term plan will see the brand build 10,000 stations with its partners, before growing to 30,000 Choco-Swap stations "in the future".
Robin Zeng, founder, chairman and CEO of CATL, predicted that battery swapping, home charging piles, and public charging piles will account for one-third of the market.
It recently announced that it would be partnering with a number of major Chinese brands, including FAW, Changan, BAIC, Chery, and GAC.
As part of this new partnership, CATL unveiled 10 new Choco-Swap-compatible models, which will see even more people benefit from the revolutionary technology.
So far, the Choco-Swap network has been rolled out in 16 cities, with plans to develop 1,000 stations across 30 different cities.
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Alongside working with major manufacturers, like Nio, the brand is also receiving support from the Research Institute of Highway under the Chinese Ministry of Transport.
CATL also noted that around 30,000 battery swap stations would be needed in the EV era, assuming there is a 33 per cent market share for battery swapping.
Yang Jun, CEO of CATL's battery swapping arm CAES, noted that this was calculated given the existence of 100,000 petrol stations across China.
He added: "We are addressing the challenges faced by the electric vehicle industry as the industry goes into uncharted waters.
CATL recently partnered with five major manufacturers to roll out more battery swap-compatible EVs
CATL
"The simpler the solutions we provide, the better our automotive partners can leverage their strengths in intelligence and personalisation to create value for users."
CATL states that its battery swap stations ensure a "99.99 per cent success rate", with each operation requiring just 100 seconds.
Significantly, CATL claims that the 30,000 battery swap target, each with 14-30 battery packs, could store 33.6 million kWh of electricity.
Coupled with 1.12 kWh of electricity stored by 20 million vehicles, the battery swap stations can respond to grid demands at any time.
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