Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) has teamed up with Times Electric Services, CAR and CMB Financial Leasing to introduce battery swapping to the rental car industry in China.

The companies plan to collaborate across energy supply, asset operations, financial support and vehicle services to deliver a complete ecosystem.

China Auto Rental will introduce CATL’s Chocolate battery-swap models across its economy, comfort and business models. A pilot program will gradually introduce over 100,000 battery swap-capable vehicles this year.

The vehicles will be equipped with CATL’s standardized Chocolate 20# and 25# battery swap modules, offering a driving range of 400-600 km and flexible recharging capabilities to meet the needs of long-term and short-term rentals, corporate vehicles and online ride-hailing services.

For online ride-hailing, China Auto Rental will scale up its Chocolate battery-swap models, focusing on the largest Chinese cities. CATL Electric Services will collaborate with CATL to build a battery health monitoring platform to ensure real-time battery safety and stability.

In the infrastructure sector, leveraging its network of over 2,000 offline locations and parking lots, CAR will build a battery swap network covering key transportation hubs, enabling efficient “return and swap” service for rental customers. The battery swap stations will prioritize the use of solar photovoltaic power and participate in grid peak and frequency regulation. The CAR app will integrate navigation and settlement functions, creating a service for the entire rental, battery swap and return process.

CMB Financial Leasing and Times Electric Services will provide battery leasing services for CAR’s vehicles.

“The four companies will also establish a dedicated working group to collaborate with automakers to optimize costs in vehicle procurement, finance and insurance and used vehicle management, enhancing product competitiveness throughout the entire lifecycle and providing users with a more efficient and convenient travel experience,” CATL stated.

Source: CATL