The world’s largest battery manufacturer CATL has hit a major milestone in its home market of China, with 2,000 of its Choco-SEB battery swap stations now active there. 

It might sound like the name of a continental European biscuit brand, but the Choco-SEB stations now cover an impressive 180 cities in China.

There are a number of brands that adhere to the Choco-SEB standard, including models from Deepal, Aion, Chery, Roewe, Hongqi and Nio, and the batteries take less than two minutes to swap at the dedicated locations.

The automated process almost instantly removes the battery from the car and swaps it for a fresh one, the stations containing a stash of batteries that are charged up relatively slowly so as not to strain the electricity grid. 

You have to step out of the car while the process takes place, but it’s not long before you are able to get back in again. 

The standardised CATL batteries range in size from 42kWh through to 70kWh packs, which means they can be used in a variety of different cars. 

CATL has developed its own battery to grid tech that also means that the batteries stored on each site can be used to sell electricity back into the grid at times of particular demand. 

The company has also developed swapping tech for commercial vehicles, including heavy trucks and buses. 

CATL says that its mid-term plan is to build 10,000 of its battery swap stations, but the company estimates that 30,000 of them will be needed in China to replicate the convenience of the country’s network of 100,000 petrol stations.