HGV battery-swapping hubs coming to the UK

Octopus Energy and CATL have announced a new joint venture (JV) to create a network of battery-swapping hubs covering the UK and Europe.

The hubs will allow electric HGVs to replace depleted batteries in minutes, removing long charge times and eliminating one of the biggest barriers to decarbonising heavy transport.

The initial UK mega hubs are expected to open in 2027, with about 30 planned by 2035. Every hub will be capable of servicing thousands of trucks per day.

Once fully operational, the partners believe the network could support 300,000 electric trucks and unlock more than £30 billion of private investment.

This JV – called Swaptopus – combines CATL’s battery swapping-station knowledge, already deployed at scale across China, with the energy supply experience of Octopus.

The two companies are also looking at options to scale Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology across CATL’s global network of automotive partners.