The vehicles will be equipped with CATL’s standardized #20 and #25 battery-swapping modules, offering a driving range of 400–600 km per vehicle.
On August 4, CAR Inc. signed a strategic partnership with CATL, its subsidiary Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology (CAES), and CMB Financial Leasing, aiming to bring standardized battery-swapping solutions into the car rental industry.
This collaboration chain spans energy supply, asset operations, financial services, and user platforms, with the goal of building a sustainable new energy mobility ecosystem.
Specifically, CAR Inc. will fully introduce CATL’s Choco-swap vehicle models, covering various segments such as economy, comfort, and business class, targeting mainstream A0 to B segments. A pilot program will launch this year, followed by the gradual deployment of over 100,000 battery-swapping vehicles.
The models will use CATL’s standardized #20 and #25 Choco-swap blocks (akin to China’s #92, #95, and #98 gasoline grades). The #20 block is designed for A0-class models, while the #25 suits A- and B-class vehicles, each offering a driving range of 400–600 kilometers per swap.
For ride-hailing scenarios, CAR Inc. will conduct large-scale procurement of these battery-swapping models, focusing on deployment in first-tier and emerging first-tier cities.
On the infrastructure side, leveraging CAR Inc.’s nationwide network of over 2,000 offline service locations and parking lots, the four parties will jointly build a battery-swapping network covering major transportation hubs, enabling customers to enjoy “swap upon return” efficiency.
In terms of digital integration, the CAR Inc. app will soon incorporate battery swap navigation and billing functions, enabling a fully digitalized closed loop for renting, swapping, and returning vehicles.
The financial backbone of this initiative is provided by CMB Financial Leasing, which will offer battery leasing plans to help CAR Inc. manage upfront procurement costs and ongoing maintenance expenses. Battery health and operational data will be managed through a monitoring platform developed by CATL’s CAES.
Currently, battery swapping is gaining traction in B2B operational scenarios. According to CATL, as of July 2025, it has built over 400 battery-swapping stations for passenger vehicles, with a goal of surpassing 1,000 by year-end. This partnership with CAR Inc. is seen as a crucial step toward expanding battery-swapping technology into civilian mobility.
For CAR Inc., this move signals a dual transformation—fleet electrification on one hand, and a restructuring of its service ecosystem on the other. To some extent, it also addresses previous consumer concerns about outdated vehicles and inconvenient recharging services.
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