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Octopus launches electric HGV battery swap tech with CATL

The partners will build a European network of battery-swapping hubs that allow electric lorries to replace depleted batteries in minutes.

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At the Octopus Energy Tech Summit today (22nd June 2026), the business launched HGV battery swap technology with CATL, to accelerate the shift to electric road freight.

The partners will build a European network of battery-swapping hubs that allow electric lorries to replace depleted batteries in minutes, to eliminate long charge times and remove a barrier to decarbonising heavy transport.

The first UK mega hubs are expected to open in 2027, with more than 30 planned by 2035.

Each hub will be capable of servicing thousands of lorries a day.

Once in full operation, the partners believe the network could support 300,000 or more electric trucks and unlock over £30bn of private investment, and aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on imported oil and replace it with homegrown green electricity.

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The joint venture, which will be called ‘Swaptopus’, combines CATL’s battery technology and swapping-station knowledge, already deployed at scale across China, with Octopus’s pan‑European energy supply, flexibility, trading and customer service expertise.

Greg Jackson, CEO and founder of Octopus Energy Group, said: “Electric trucks already beat diesel on running costs, the challenge is keeping them moving.

“Battery swapping changes that. Instead of waiting for hours, trucks can be back on the road in minutes.

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“By combining Octopus’s software and energy expertise with CATL’s world-class battery technology, we’re making clean freight practical at scale across Europe.”

Dr Robin Zeng, chairman and CEO of CATL, said: “Battery swapping will be a significant part of the future of commercial transport.

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“We have field-proven this technology in China, and we are delighted to bring it to the UK and Europe as part of our joint venture with Octopus.

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“Together, our expertise in battery swapping, B2G (Battery-to-Grid) and energy storage, paired with Octopus’s AI-powered energy trading and management technologies, will speed up the electrification of road transport across the region.”

William Rowe, CEO and founder of Swaptopus, said: “We believe the future of land based transport is electric and autonomous, and battery swapping is a massive part of the enabling infrastructure.

“Not only does it significantly reduce down time but since the batteries at the swapping stations can be charged and discharged when the grid needs it, they act as a virtual power plant and in turn lower costs for consumers.”

Alongside electric trucking, Octopus and CATL are also exploring options to scale Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology across CATL’s global network of automotive partners, aiming to turn millions of future electric vehicles into virtual power plants that can feed cheap energy back into the grid during peak demand.

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Jackson spoke with Oscar Luo, executive president at CATL at the summit, about where this technology can be implemented in the UK, with Luo emphasising the importance of using European manufacturing.

Luo said: “It’s a proven technology that can power power with 500 kilowatt hour in five minutes, which is the shortest period.

“We already have more than 300 stations in China doing that, so we are very happy to partner with Octopus and bring this to the UK.”

He added: “We want to be a local player in Europe. We hope our product can be manufactured in Europe, made by Europeans for Europeans.”

Luo said: “I think this is a combination of two great companies, we provide the most efficient system and Octopus can manage and aggregate energy.”

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Jackson said: “Total cost of ownership – that is the truck and the fuel – will be cheaper than a diesel truck and fuel is today.

“Of course, the price of diesel is currently elevated, but if it falls back, it’ll be about parity, but the difference is that this is just going to get cheaper every year.”

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