A new European network of battery-swapping hubs allowing electric lorries to replace depleted batteries in minutes is being developed.


Named Swaptopus, after partner Octopus (the other partner in the venture being CATL) these mega-hubs will first start appearing in the UK in 2027, with more than 30 planned by 2035 across Europe. Once in full operation, the partners believe the network could support over 300,000 electric trucks and unlock over £30bn of private investment.

CATL already has extensive swapping-station knowledge, deployed at scale across China, with Octopus providing its pan‑European energy supply, flexibility, trading and customer service expertise.

Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy Group, said: "Electric trucks already beat diesel on running costs, the challenge is keeping them moving. Battery swapping changes that. Instead of waiting for hours, trucks can be back on the road in minutes.”

Alongside electric trucking, Octopus and CATL are also exploring options to scale Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology across CATL’s global network of automotive partners, aiming to turn millions of future electric vehicles into virtual power plants that can feed cheap energy back into the grid during peak demand.

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