What About The Sales Since The Heavy-Duty Truck Chassis Battery Swap Solution Has Developed Over A Year?

    Time flies like an arrow, and the industry's first heavy-duty truck chassis battery swap solution has been released for a year and a half. On June 12, 2023, CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited) launched its self-developed one-stop heavy-duty truck chassis battery swap solution—Qi Ji Battery Swap.

So, how has the Qi Ji chassis battery swap solution developed over the past year and a half? What about the sales figures? Let's take a closer look today.

    2023 is The Inception Year of Qi Ji Chassis Battery Swap, this year of the launch of CATL's Qi Ji chassis battery swap solution, CATL collaborated with DeepWay, a heavy-duty truck manufacturer, Xuridongsheng Supply Chain, and Fujian Province Expressway Group to establish the first highway heavy-duty truck chassis battery swap green logistics corridor in China—the "Ningde-Xiamen Trunk Line." The "Ning-Xia Line," covering approximately 420 kilometers, is equipped with four battery swap stations in both directions, located at the Changle Service Area in Fuzhou and the Luoyangjiang Service Area in Quanzhou.

    In 2023, a total of 308 heavy-duty trucks equipped with CATL's Qi Ji chassis battery swap solution were sold (based on insurance data), with the DeepWay 466 kWh product being the main model. The current flagship product, the 513 kWh model, is a second-generation solution that only began small-scale sales at the end of 2023. Unlike the first-generation 466 kWh product, which features a single battery pack, the 513 kWh battery pack consists of three 171 kWh swappable modules.

    In 2024, CATL officially integrated its two battery swap business units. Yang Jun, former Vice President of DiDi Mobility, took full responsibility for both the passenger and logistics vehicle battery swap business (under CATL Power Service) and the heavy-duty truck battery swap business (under CATL Qi Ji). Naturally, CATL Qi Ji also underwent significant internal adjustments and quickly launched its operations in several regions, including Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Fujian, and Guangdong. As of now, there are 18 operational Qi Ji chassis battery swap stations (according to official app data).

    Through a series of adjustments, the Qi Ji chassis battery swap model has shown initial success in certain areas. In particular, in Shandong Province, the Zouping Bonded Logistics Park battery swap station achieved a daily battery swap volume of over 45,000 kWh. What does it mean? Assuming a service fee of 0.4 yuan per kWh, the daily revenue would be 18,000 yuan. If the station operates for 300 days a year, the annual revenue would reach 5.4 million yuan.

    According to industry insurance data, in 2024, a total of 2,161 heavy-duty trucks equipped with CATL's Qi Ji chassis battery swap solution were sold, accounting for 7.5% of the total sales of battery swap heavy-duty trucks (with a total of 28,694 battery swap heavy-duty trucks sold in 2024). Among them, DeepWay led the market with 1,875 units sold (based on insurance data; it is reported that DeepWay delivered 3,000 units in 2024 if delivery data is included), representing 86.8% of the total sales of chassis battery swap heavy-duty trucks.

    It is anticipated that the sales of chassis battery swap heavy-duty trucks will significantly increase in 2025, primarily due to the following reasons:

• The chassis battery swap product line will be extended to 9.8-meter single-axle vehicles, entering new application scenarios such as express delivery, fast freight, and lightweight cargo transportation.

• The increasing layout of chassis battery swap stations and heavy-duty truck charging stations will make energy replenishment more convenient.

• The advantages of chassis battery swap heavy-duty trucks, such as lower center of gravity, lower energy consumption, and higher safety, are gradually gaining more customer recognition.

• The chassis battery swap technology is becoming more mature, and the product quality is becoming more stable.

• The costs of electric drive axles and batteries are expected to decrease further, which will reduce the overall cost of chassis battery swap heavy-duty trucks.

• With more and more major truck manufacturers developing chassis battery swap heavy-duty trucks, increased competition will inevitably drive up sales.