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CATL, Octopus Announce Battery-Swapping Hubs for Trucks
Each Location Is Expected to Service Thousands of Trucks a Day
Key Takeaways:
- Octopus Energy and CATL said June 22 they will build a European network of battery-swapping hubs for trucks, launching in the U.K. next year.
- The plan aims to address slow electrification of heavy trucks by enabling minute-long battery swaps, with a network exceeding 30 sites by 2035.
- The companies will expand the network across Europe as emissions rules tighten, using CATL’s existing technology developed across 1,600 stations in China.
U.K. energy supplier Octopus Energy Group Ltd. and Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL, will build a European network of battery-swapping hubs for trucks, the two companies said on June 22.
The network will launch in the U.K. next year and is expected to have more than 30 locations across Europe by 2035, each of which will be capable of serving thousands of vehicles a day, according to a press statement.
The joint venture was also announced on stage at the company’s Energy Tech Summit in London by Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson.
Users will be able to replace depleted batteries in minutes, rather than having to wait for them to recharge — a significant barrier to decarbonizing heavy transport, the press release said.
The battery-electric heavy truck sector has grown more slowly than the market for electric passenger cars. Electric trucks make up about 4% of new vehicles across the European Union and about 1% in the U.K. China is the world leader in deploying electric trucks, with about 20% of new trucks sold carrying a plug.
First major #OctopusETS26 announcement 🔋🚚
Swaptopus helps solve one of the toughest electrification battles -heavy electric lorries - by swapping out empty batteries for fully charged ones on the road. pic.twitter.com/vVJe0SaVQl — Octopus Energy (@OctopusEnergy) June 22, 2026
“We have developed this technology in China over five years and have a network of 1,600 stations,” said CATL Vice President Jiang Li in an interview.
European emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles require manufacturers to reduce emissions from their fleets by 43% from 2030.
“Electric trucks already beat diesel on running costs,” said Jackson. “The challenge is keeping them moving.”
