Shanghai (Gasgoo)- At the Auto Guangzhou 2025 on November 21, CATL and SAIC Commercial Vehicle announced a far-reaching strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the electrification and digitalization of commercial transport. The two companies will collaborate across joint technology development, ecosystem building and global expansion, with plans to create an integrated network connecting vehicles, batteries, swapping stations and cloud platforms. The initiative is designed to modernize logistics and urban delivery operations, pushing commercial mobility toward a more efficient and zero-carbon future.
SAIC Commercial Vehicle, a leading force in China's commercial mobility sector, has built its business around solutions for logistics, urban mobility and intelligent driving. Since the company launched its transition to new energy vehicle technologies, CATL has served as a central partner, supplying it with advanced battery systems and energy solutions that underpin its electrification push.
The partnership extends deeply into powertrain innovation. SAIC's Maxus Dana series uses CATL's new "TIANXING Battery," which delivers strong performance in energy density, cycle life and fast-charging capability—setting a new benchmark for light commercial EVs. At the same time, the companies plan to scale up deployment of their "Choco-Swap" model, which has been piloted in logistics fleets and is expected to greatly improve charging efficiency and zero-carbon performance in urban delivery and public-use scenarios.
CATL emphasizes that battery swapping is not merely a hardware swap but a redefinition of operational efficiency for commercial fleets. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology Ltd., has developed the Choco-Swap system, which can replace a pack in just three minutes, dramatically increasing vehicle utilization and reducing downtime. The company plans to expand the battery swapping station network to 140 cities by 2026, offering a more flexible and rapid energy-replenishment option for a wide range of commercial users.
Further cooperation will focus on an integrated operating framework linking vehicles, batteries, battery swapping infrastructure and cloud-based management systems. By combining capabilities in intelligent driving and automated energy replenishment, the companies aim to build a seamless smart-energy service chain. Internationally, CATL and SAIC Commercial Vehicle will coordinate their overseas expansion strategies, pooling resources to navigate global battery regulations and carbon-compliance requirements while strengthening the competitiveness of Chinese commercial NEVs in global markets.
The expanded partnership marks a shift from product-level collaboration to joint ecosystem development, signaling a broader industry move toward cleaner and more efficient commercial transport. Both companies plan to continue refining the battery-swap ecosystem and contribute to smarter urban infrastructure, injecting new momentum into the modernization of transportation and energy systems in China and beyond.
