China's CATL "Setting Up 1,000 Electric Vehicle Battery Replacement Stations Next Year"

China's CATL, the world's largest electric vehicle battery maker, said it will install 1,000 battery replacement stations in China next year.

"Electric vehicle battery replacement is much faster than fast charging, so it takes about 100 seconds," a CATL official said.

CATL plans to increase the number of replacement stations to up to 40,000 in the long term.

Rival Nio operates 2,700 battery replacement stations in China and plans to increase them to at least 5,000.

The AP analyzed that electric vehicle companies, which are concerned about losing control of the supply chain due to the need for standardization of battery packs, are reluctant to replace batteries, although they are faster than charging.

Automotive market experts predict that battery replacement may not become mainstream, but it could be a possible option.

In particular, it is easier to introduce battery replacements for buses, commercial trucks, and taxis that have already been standardized and often run on established routes, CATL said.