China’s getting a large electric car battery swapping boost in 2025. Would that work across the globe?

Detroit — China will soon view a massive expansion of electric vehicle battery swapping, as global battery maker CATL said Wednesday it is investing heavily in stations there next year.

Battery swapping is not recent — but it’s had a challenging trip. Adoption of electric vehicles has varied in regions across the globe over the history several years, and that doesn’t always bode well for building recent infrastructure.

While the technology could do well in China, it’s doubtful whether it could work in other countries.

Battery swapping allows EV drivers to pull into a station on a low battery and receive a swapped, fully-charged battery within minutes.

An EV has to be equipped with the correct technology to receive a swap — and not many models around the globe currently have it. Automakers have to buy into the concept, and EV adoption among consumers also has to develop, so that investing in recent infrastructure seems worthwhile. Consumers also have to be comfortable not owning their battery.

China is much further along in adopting EVs than other countries.

Not only is it the globe’s largest auto economy, but in July, the country hit a milestone with 50% of recent sales electric — and it accounts for most of this year’s global EV sales.

China supports EV growth through government subsidies and mandates. So it makes more sense for companies to invest in distinctive EV infrastructure there because that’s more likely to be needed.

The most notable example might be Israeli recent business Better Place, which tried its hand at swapping in 2007.

But the business shut down a few years later after investing a lot of money and coming up against roadblocks with logistics. EV adoption was especially low at the period.

recent business Ample, for example, has a modular battery swapping station that it says can complete a swap in 5 minutes. That’s significant as charging period remains a point of concern for prospective EV buyers. Even the fastest quick chargers could receive at least 15 minutes for a decent fee.

But in the U.S., pure EVs only accounted for 8% of recent vehicle sales as of November.

Meanwhile Nio, a rival Chinese EV brand, has about 60 swap stations in northern Europe, and the EV adoption is higher there than the U.S., but the same challenges remain.

Different automakers put different batteries in their various EV models, so a station would require all of those available if the industry didn’t consent to a standardized battery, and not all of those models are out yet in volume. This is something that really needs scale.

Swapping could assist with EV expense — currently a barrier to adoption for many — because a driver wouldn’t necessarily own the most expensive part of an EV: the battery.

Greg Less, director of the University of Michigan Battery Lab, said with proper framing and education, people might like the concept of battery swapping. To him, it’s not unlike buying a propane-fueled grill and purchasing a refilled tank every so often. But it would require a rethinking of car ownership.

“Where I could view it working is if we went entirely away from vehicle ownership and we went to a use-on-demand model,” Less added. “I don’t ponder we’re there yet.”

Battery swapping might make most sense for ride-sharing or other fleet vehicles.

Drivers of buses, taxis, Uber or Lyft vehicles desire to spend as much period on the road as feasible, transporting customers and making money. If battery swapping can shorten the period needed to fee EVs, that makes driving one less disruptive to their business.

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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. pursue her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at [email protected].

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