CATL Partners With Octopus Energy to Build UK Heavy-Truck Battery-Swap Network
Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and UK energy company Octopus Energy have established a joint venture to build a commercial heavy-truck battery-swapping network across the United Kingdom, marking the first overseas deployment of CATL's Qiji battery-swap platform.
The two companies announced the partnership on June 22, with plans to roll out the first demonstration swap stations in the UK by 2027, targeting high-traffic freight corridors and major logistics ports. Under the current buildout roadmap, the network is set to expand to more than 30 stations by 2035, covering England, Scotland, and Wales.
The Qiji system is designed to complete a full battery exchange in approximately five minutes using standardized battery packs — a specification CATL says addresses three persistent pain points in European heavy freight electrification: slow charging speeds, high upfront vehicle costs, and the grid-upgrade burden associated with high-power charging infrastructure.
The joint venture intends to serve logistics companies, port operators, retailers, and private fleet operators. The partners also plan to embed swap stations inside major distribution centers to support urban last-mile delivery operations.
From an energy-system perspective, the battery-swap infrastructure is designed to absorb surplus renewable electricity from wind and solar generation, using onboard storage buffers to reduce grid stress and lower the freight sector's reliance on fossil fuels. CATL positions the standardized swap model as a commercially viable alternative to the megawatt-class fast-charging approach favored by many European operators, arguing it offers better operating economics, longer battery cycle life, and greater compatibility with existing grid capacity.
CATL said it intends to use the UK project as a template for broader European expansion, with plans to export integrated clean-energy infrastructure solutions and full-lifecycle maintenance services to additional markets through partnerships with local industry players.
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