Chinese power battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology and ride-hailing firm Didi have established a battery-swapping joint venture.

The JV, whose establishment was announced in Ningde on Jan. 26, will rely on the two companies' technical advantages and operational capabilities to provide battery-swapping services to new energy vehicles for the ride-hailing market, Ningde-based CATL announced yesterday.

Moreover, CATL joined hands with Didi's unit Orange Energy to promote cooperation in the fields of integrated storage and charging, the firm added.

The cooperation with Didi is an important strategic layout in the field of battery charging, CATL said, noting that the pair will quickly open battery-swapping stations, promote battery-swapping car models, and improve resource utilization and social operation efficiency.

CATL focuses on to-business car-hailing battery swapping. In January 2022, the company released battery-swapping brand Evogo and three battery swap products: Choco-SEB, a swapping electric block resembling a chocolate bar that can be used in passenger and commercial vehicles, quick battery-swapping stations, and an app. Choco-SEB has a capacity of 26.5 kilowatt-hours and a cruising range of about 200 kilometers.

Last September, Evogo opened its first community battery-swapping service station in Xiamen, China's southeastern Fujian province, jointly operated with Chinese on-demand services giant Meituan. CATL has so far opened battery-swapping stations in Xiamen, Quanzhou, Hefei, Guiyang, and Fuzhou.

Orange Energy's business covers multiple sectors, such as online refueling, smart charging, virtual power plants, and power trading. It offered more than 680 million charging services in over 190 cities as of the end of last year.