(JW Insights) Jun 13 -- Chinese battery giant CATL released a battery swapping product for heavy-duty trucks called “QIJI Energy” on June 12, which consists of QIJI battery swapping blocks, QIJI battery swap stations, and the QIJI cloud platform, reported Pandaily.

The QIJI battery swapping block uses CATL’s third-generation lithium iron phosphate battery, equipped with non-thermal diffusion technology and CTP grouping technology. It has passed more than 200 safety and reliability tests, and the battery system life exceeds 15,000 cycles, said the Pandaily report.

The QIJI battery swap station adopts adaptive stepless regulation technology, which can achieve one-stop swapping for different vehicle models and brands. It also uses modular design. The capacity of a single battery swapping unit reaches 171kWh, supporting flexible assembly of 1-3 batteries.

In addition, the entire battery swapping process takes only a few minutes, which is comparable to the refueling speed of diesel trucks.

The QIJI cloud platform can aggregate vehicle, battery, and swapping station data for full-scenario swapping. Drivers can make appointments with one click and optimize their swapping paths. Asset holders can achieve real-time asset supervision and intelligent scheduling based on the QIJI cloud platform. Transport companies can also plan transportation routes and manage drivers’ vehicles.

CATL stated that both the swapping stations and operators could ultimately improve operational efficiency. In the vehicle-electricity separation mode, each truck can save RMB 30,000 to 60,000 ($4,200 to 8,400) in annual vehicle operating and effectively reduce carbon emissions, said the Pandaily report.

(Li PP/Chen HX)