World's first EV with 100-second Choco-SEB battery swaps delivered to 1st customer in China

In December 2024, EV battery giant CATL unveiled an ambitious plan to standardize the swappable EV battery ecosystem in China. The backbone of CATL’s plan is a vast network of swap stations that would allow customers to replace a Choco-SEB (Swapping Electric Blocks) in 100 seconds, wide support from car makers like Changan, and two battery packs: 20# and 25#.

CATL also announced that EVs with the Choco-SEB batteries will be available from Q1 2025. CarsNewsChina (CNC) reports that Changan, a Chinese automaker based in Chongqing, has delivered 1,000 Oshan 520 EVs to a local taxi service. This makes the Changan Oshan 520 the world’s first production EV with CATL’s Choco-SEB battery tech. The Changan Oshan 520 has a stated CLTC range of 515 km or 320 miles.

A long charging time remains one of the biggest challenges faced by EVs. While solutions like Tesla Superchargers are fast, promising up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes, the speeds are still slow compared to refueling for gasoline cars. This is where a standardized battery swapping ecosystem can make a huge difference. Assuming CATL’s Choco-SEB swapping stations become ubiquitous and work as advertised, a new, fully charged battery would take as much time as refueling a gasoline car.

Changan delivering the first batch of Oshan 520 EVs is a first step in what will be a long process for CATL. CATL has an ambitious plan of establishing around 1,000 battery swapping stations in 2025, with a total of 30,000 in the years to come. The company has also signed contract with multiple Chinese EV makers to produce cars based around the Choco-SEB batteries. These makes include the likes of SAIC, BAIC, GAC, and Wuling, and FAW.

That said, CATL is not the only one trying to make EV battery swapping the norm in China. EV maker Nio, which currently operates more than 3,000 battery swap stations which server EVs with the Power Swap technology.