Could China's battery-swapping e-trucks be the answer to EV range anxiety

Battery swapping is emerging as a practical way to make electric heavy trucks faster and cheaper to operate, especially on regular routes. On China’s Hainan island, driver Wang Bing’s new truck can have its depleted battery replaced automatically in about five minutes, rather than spending 90 minutes plugged in. Electricity already costs him substantially less than diesel, and he estimates the truck saves more than 20,000 yuan a month in fuel. Swapping can also reduce the upfront price of an electric truck: buyers can purchase the vehicle without its battery and rent one instead, avoiding a component that accounts for roughly 40% of the truck’s cost. Stations can charge batteries when demand is low and potentially return stored power to the grid at peak times.

China is the largest market for electric trucks, and CATL is backing the technology through its Qiji Energy network. It plans 900 stations by the end of 2026 and 2,000 by the end of 2027, and is working with Octopus to establish swapping hubs in Europe. But swapping remains a minority option, and its usefulness depends on compatible batteries and stations: different designs may lock drivers into one provider and limit where they can travel. Drivers may also wait at stations to avoid costly peak periods, reducing the time advantage. The approach is therefore best suited to predictable, fixed routes, such as port, factory and urban freight operations; long-haul journeys with changing destinations remain harder to serve.