CATL Partners With JD.com, GAC on Low-Cost EV
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Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) has partnered with JD.com Inc. and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd. (GAC) to launch a low-cost electric vehicle (EV) that supports battery-swapping technology.
The Aion UT Super went on sale Sunday, with a version that allows buyers to rent the battery costing just 49,900 yuan ($6,900) plus a monthly battery rental fee of 399 yuan.
Under the cooperation, JD.com will serve as the online sales platform, GAC Aion will handle vehicle production and delivery, while CATL will provide the battery rental and swapping services, Caixin has learned. CATL, the world’s largest maker of power and energy storage batteries, operates battery-swapping services for commercial and passenger vehicles under the Qiji and Choco-SEB brands, respectively.
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- CATL, JD.com, and GAC launched the Aion UT Super, a low-cost EV with battery-swapping, priced at 49,900 yuan ($6,900) plus 399 yuan monthly battery rental.
- CATL operates 800 battery-swapping stations in China, aiming for 2,500 by 2026, and seeks to prove market viability for battery swapping.
- GAC’s vehicle sales dropped 10.9% in early 2025, while GAC Aion’s EV sales fell 20.9%, despite overall rapid EV market growth.
- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.
- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) is a Chinese battery giant and the world's largest maker of power and energy storage batteries. CATL is partnering with JD.com Inc. and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd. (GAC) to launch a low-cost electric vehicle using battery-swapping technology. CATL will provide battery rental and swapping services, aiming to prove the market viability of this technology. They operate battery-swapping services under the Qiji and Choco-SEB brands and plan to expand to 2,500 stations by 2026.
- JD.com Inc.
- JD.com Inc. is partnering with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd. (GAC) to launch a low-cost electric vehicle. JD.com will serve as the online sales platform for the new EV, the Aion UT Super, which supports battery-swapping technology.
- Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd.
- Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd. (GAC) has partnered with CATL and JD.com to launch a low-cost EV with battery-swapping technology. GAC Aion, its EV arm, will handle vehicle production and delivery. This collaboration is crucial for GAC, as its sales, especially EV sales, have declined significantly in the first ten months of 2025.
- September 2025：
- GAC Aion sales dropped 32.4% year-on-year.
- October 2025：
- GAC Aion sales dropped 26.1% year-on-year.
- In the first ten months of 2025：
- GAC’s sales fell 10.9% year-on-year to 1.35 million vehicles; GAC Aion sales dropped 20.9% to 209,600 units.
- As of November 8, 2025：
- CATL had established approximately 800 battery swapping stations in China.
- November 9, 2025：
- The Aion UT Super went on sale, offering a battery rental option.
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