CATL and Octopus Energy launch Swaptopus battery‑swap network for European electric trucks

CATL and the British energy supplier Octopus Energy have formed a joint venture called Swaptopus to build a continent‑wide network of battery‑swap stations for electric heavy‑duty trucks. The first stations are planned for the United Kingdom and are expected to be operational in 2027.

The partners aim to install more than 30 large‑scale swap sites across Europe by 2035, targeting a capacity to serve over 300,000 electric trucks. They anticipate the project will attract private investment exceeding £30 billion. The swap stations will replace depleted truck batteries within minutes and can also act as decentralized energy storage, feeding power back to the grid as virtual power plants. Swaptopus will explore vehicle‑to‑grid (V2G) concepts through CATL’s global automotive network, potentially turning millions of electric vehicles into controllable grid resources.