Battery swapping has moved from trial concept to commercial deployment in Hong Kong, with CATL putting two Choco swap stations into service and the first batch of swap taxis beginning operations in the city.

CATL (HKEX: 3750) said Thursday that it intends to establish about 36 battery swap stations in Hong Kong by the end of 2030. The planned network is intended to reach major core hubs across all districts, with a particular focus on high-use commercial fleets such as taxis and logistics vehicles.

The Hong Kong taxi deployment uses a right-hand-drive (RHD) version of the Hongqi E-QM5. The model is based on CATL's Choco-SEB swap technology and is capable of completing a battery swap within 99 seconds.

For taxi and logistics operators, CATL said the swap model can reduce driver downtime, improve operational attendance rates and increase operating revenue. The company also pointed to Hong Kong's dense urban environment, mountainous terrain and limited land availability as factors that may favor compact, flexible swap stations over some other charging infrastructure formats.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu visited CATL on June 24, where he viewed Choco swap passenger cars, light trucks and vans, and experienced the swap taxi. Lee said Hong Kong continues to advance the new energy industry and accelerate the roll-out of green technologies. He also expressed hope for closer cooperation between Fujian and Hong Kong in the sector.

CATL's battery swap network is already more developed in mainland China. As of May 2026, the Ningde, Fujian-based company had built 1,650 swap stations across 127 cities. It plans to exceed 3,000 stations by the end of 2026, expanding coverage to nearly 190 cities. Chongqing, Guangzhou and Beijing have each surpassed 50 stations.

The company said the Hong Kong deployment could serve as a reference for dense urban markets and may be extended to more international cities in the future.