In Just 100 Seconds, You Can Have A Fully Charged EV

- CATL wants to have 1,000 stations in 31 cities across China by the end of this year.
- In just 100 seconds, EV drivers can swap batteries, beating traditional charging times.
- Each of the new βChoco-SEBβ battery stations can handle up to 822 swaps per day.
Tesla might have been the first automaker to flirt with the concept of battery swapping stations for its EVs, but itβs Chinaβs top car manufacturers that have fully embraced it, running miles ahead of the competition. Nio is currently leading the charge in battery swap tech, with thousands of stations scattered across China and even a few popping up in Europe. Soon, battery-swapping will become even more commonplace in China.
Just this week, Changan Automobile rolled out the first 1,000 units of its Oshan 520 sedan. Built with local taxi services in mind, these cars are significant for one reason: theyβre the first to use CATLβs new Choco-SEB swappable battery packs.
What really steals the show here is the speedβthese batteries can be swapped out in just 100 seconds at specialized stations that are about to become a common sight across China. Chongqing already boasts 34 Choco-SEB swap stations, and by 2025, CATL plans to have 1,000 of these stations spread across 31 cities.
Read: EV Battery Breakthrough Could Double Your Carβs Lifespan
CATL, which just so happens to be the worldβs largest EV battery supplier, has inked deals with GAC, Chery, Nio, SAIC, FAW, BAIC, and others to build EVs with these new battery packs. This means vehicles from all those brands will be able to use CATLβs swap stations, which can handle 822 swaps each day each.

As for the Oshan 520, itβs got a modest 56 kWh battery, offering a respectable range of up to 515 km (320 miles). At a starting price of 166,890 yuan (around $23,100 at current exchange rates), itβs relatively affordable for the average Chinese driver.
The real benefit, though, lies in the battery swap tech. Taxi drivers, for example, can skip the agonizing wait at a high-speed charger and swap batteries in just 100 second. Thatβs faster than it would take to fuel up a traditional gas-powered car. In a world where time equals money, this is a huge win.
A slew of other Chinese EVs have already been confirmed to support the Choco-SEB battery system. These include the new GAC Aion S, Hongqi E-QM5, SAIC Roewe D7, BAIC C66, Wuling Bingo, Wuling Starlight, SAIC Rising R7, SAIC Maxus Mifa 9, and the SAIC Maxus Dana. So, it looks like swapping batteries is going to be the norm, at least for Chinaβs EVs, in the very near future.
