Huawei automotive unit joins CATL network with 2,520 stations — Electrek

In China, Huawei’s automotive unit Yinwang, also known as Newcool, has entered into a framework agreement on strategic cooperation with battery manufacturer CATL and its subsidiary CAES. The agreement provides for the use of swappable batteries and vehicle compatibility with CATL’s Choco-swap network, which has 2,520 stations in around 200 Chinese cities.

As Electrek reports, CATL plans to adapt vehicles with Huawei’s Qiankun intelligent driving systems for Choco-swap stations. The company wants to connect the vehicle, station and cloud services so that the system determines a car’s energy needs based on battery condition and driver habits, finds a station and independently directs the vehicle for a battery swap.

Battery swap in 99 seconds

According to CATL, the battery swap itself at a station can take 99 seconds. CATL Chairman Robin Zeng and Huawei Senior Vice President and Yinwang CEO Jin Yuzhi took part in signing the agreement.

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Huawei owns 80% of Yinwang, while Seres and Changan-affiliated Avatr hold 10% each. Seres produces premium SUVs under the AITO brand, while Qiankun systems are also used by other Chinese automakers.

Expansion of the Choco-swap network

CATL entered the battery-swapping market in 2022 with the EVOGO service and relaunched this business under the Choco-swap brand with standardized battery packs at the end of 2024. At the end of 2025, the network had 1,020 stations; in early July, the number exceeded 2,000, and as of September 29, it reached 2,520.

CATL is building more than 200 battery-swap stations per month and aims to increase their number to more than 3,000 by the end of the year. Other network partners include GAC, BAIC and NIO. At the same time, the agreement with Yinwang is a framework agreement: specific vehicle models, launch timelines and service regions have not been announced.