BAIC Group and CATL signed an agreement on October 22, 2026, to broaden their battery-swapping partnership in China. The plan is to connect compatible models from multiple BAIC brands to CATL’s Choco network and jointly develop public energy-replenishment infrastructure nationwide. BAIC will also make its dealer network available to support station development and operations near dealerships.
The agreement covers vehicle and battery development, station-network construction, battery energy services and new business models. The companies intend to bring swap assets under specialized management, clarify operating responsibilities and promote common standards and interoperable networks. BAIC said their ambition is to create a mature Chinese battery-swap ecosystem serving a million vehicles, but gave no schedule, station target or list of additional compatible models.
The expanded arrangement builds on a June 2024 deal covering swap-ready vehicles, battery-block development and battery-data management. BAIC’s Arcfox brand has already introduced a battery-swap version of the Beta S3 using CATL’s Choco-SEB system, with a battery-rental option. A swappable-battery version of the Arcfox Beta T1 also appeared in a Chinese government vehicle filing in August, showing the car and battery could be sold separately.
CATL said it had 2,520 swap stations in 200 Chinese cities as of September 29 and has a long-term target of 30,000. It also plans 1,000 highway stations in 2026 and 2027. The BAIC tie-up follows CATL’s October 19 announcement of a partnership with Huawei’s automotive technology company Newcool, also known as Yinwang.