China’s battery titan CATL has teamed with UK’s largest household supplier Octopus Energy to roll out a network of battery‑swapping hubs for electric lorries across Europe by 2035. The joint venture aims to support more than 300,000 trucks, potentially cutting operating costs below diesel and speeding up adoption for the the.

Each swapping station will replace a depleted 500‑kWh cell in five minutes, compared with nearly an hour for fast charging. By moving the battery out of the vehicle, owners avoid the hefty upfront cost of a battery pack, while the cells can continue to power other applications for the fleet.

Octopus CEO Greg Jackson said the technology will make electric trucks cheaper than diesel today, though diesel prices are volatile. He added that as diesel falls, cost parity will tighten, and electric fleets will keep dropping in price each year, improving competitiveness for logistics operators and fleet managers globally today.

The first UK hubs are slated for launch next year, with private investment exceeding £30 bn earmarked for the network. CATL’s move follows China’s push to electrify 1.6 million trucks by 2030, positioning the company as a key player in Europe’s transition away from diesel for the transport sector in Europe today.