Battery swap, Octopus Energy and CATL launch new joint venture Swaptopus
The model allows vehicles to replace a discharged battery with a charged one in just a few minutes, reducing downtime compared to traditional charging.
Octopus Energy and CATL have signed a joint venture agreement to accelerate the electrification of road freight transport in Europe through a network of centers dedicated to the rapid swapping of electric truck batteries. The agreement will lead to the creation of Swaptopus, a company that will combine Octopus’s energy and digital expertise with CATL’s battery technology and experience in battery-swapping stations, which are already in widespread use in China.
The model allows vehicles to replace a discharged battery with a charged one in just a few minutes, reducing downtime compared to traditional charging. This is one of the most critical aspects for electric heavy-duty transport, where range, operating times, and infrastructure availability directly impact the economic sustainability of fleets.
Battery swap in Europe, first hubs in 2027?
The first mega hubs in the United Kingdom are expected to open in 2027. The partners’ stated goal is to reach 30 centers by 2035, each capable, according to the companies’ estimates, of serving thousands of vehicles per day. Once fully operational, the network could support over 300,000 electric trucks and mobilize more than 30 billion pounds in private investment.
“The real challenge is keeping them operational,” said Greg Jackson, founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, referring to electric trucks. “Instead of waiting for hours, these vehicles can get back on the road in just a few minutes.”
According to Robin Zeng, president and CEO of CATL, “battery replacement will be a key factor for the future of commercial transportation.” The joint venture will also work on integrating batteries, the power grid, and energy management.
One important aspect involves the potential use of hubs as distributed energy storage systems. In other words, the batteries at the stations could be charged or discharged based on grid needs, contributing to the flexibility of the power system. Octopus and CATL are also evaluating Vehicle-to-Grid applications, technologies that allow electric vehicles to feed energy back into the grid during peak demand periods.
