CATL Swappable Battery Technology for Electric Two-Wheelers: How HelloPower Turns It Into a Working Network

CATL is becoming one of the most important forces behind electric two-wheeler battery swapping—and HelloPower (branded as HelloSwap in Thailand) is the operating network bringing that technology onto real streets for riders, fleets, and cities. This article explains what CATL is actually doing in swappable batteries for e-bikes and motorcycles, and how our network turns that innovation into daily operations you can build a business on. 

How CATL Enters Two-Wheeler Battery Swapping

In 2019, CATL, Hellobike (Hello Inc.), and Ant Financial (now Ant Group) announced a joint venture with a total investment of 1 billion CNY focused specifically on two-wheeler battery swapping. The goal was not just to sell cells, but to build a "basic energy network" for electric two-wheelers covering urban commuting, logistics, and shared mobility.

(Source: CATL)

In this partnership:

• CATL provides the core lithium-ion battery technology and special power batteries tailored for two-wheel use.

• Hello (Hellobike) contributes an established city-level mobility network and operational know-how.

• Ant Group contributes digital payment systems, user platforms, and large-scale commercial infrastructure to support operation at scale.

Through this joint venture, we design, build, and operate smart swap stations and two-wheeler energy services based on CATL's power solutions. For OEMs, fleets, and energy investors, this is how CATL's laboratory-level innovation becomes a concrete swappable battery service on the ground.

What Makes CATL's Swappable Battery Approach Different

Purpose-Built Power Batteries for Two-Wheelers

CATL's two-wheeler battery-swap program is built on "tailor-made special power batteries" for lightweight, high-frequency vehicles rather than repurposed car packs. Compared with traditional lead-acid or generic lithium batteries, these packs are designed to:

• Deliver sufficient energy and power for city-range e-bikes, scooters, and small motorcycles

• Support frequent partial charge and discharge cycles typical of swapping

• Maintain safety and performance across everyday urban temperature ranges

This is the foundation for CATL battery swapping on small vehicles: the chemistry and pack design are aligned with how electric two-wheelers are actually used in dense cities, not just in test-bench conditions.

Integrated System: Battery, Battery-Swapping Cabinet, and Cloud

CATL describes the two-wheeler solution as a system composed of three core elements—intelligent lithium battery, intelligent battery-swapping cabinet, and integrated intelligent background management system. In practice, this translates into:

• Smart, swappable batteries with embedded electronics and communication

• Battery-swapping cabinets that automate mechanical exchange, charging, and safety control

• Cloud software that orchestrates energy, users, and assets across the network

This system design, implemented in our HelloSwap solutions, is what makes CATL battery swap different from simple removable-battery concepts. It creates the basis for a service platform that OEMs, fleet operators, and city partners can plug into.

HelloPower in Action: Bringing CATL Battery Technology to Cities

CATL is a global cell and battery technology leader, not a retail mobility operator. HelloPower extends CATL's two-wheeler solution into full swap networks ready for deployment in real markets.

Our role, built on the CATL–Hello–Ant joint venture, is to:

• Use CATL's special power battery cells as the core of our two-wheeler swap packs

• Integrate those packs with our own cabinets, vehicles, and digital systems

• Operate the network day-to-day in cities, based on joint experience and operational data

For partners, this means you access CATL swappable battery technology through an operator that already knows how to deploy it at scale—rather than trying to assemble cells, cabinets, software, and field operations from scratch.

Inside a CATL-Based Two-Wheeler Swapping Experience

From a user's perspective, a CATL-backed two-wheeler swap system works as follows:

1. Riders arrive at a smart swap cabinet and authenticate (for example, via app or code scan)

2. The cabinet verifies the user, checks battery status and authorizations, and unlocks a slot

3. The rider inserts the depleted pack and removes a fully charged pack

Our system is designed for fast swap cycles in the 6–15 second range from scan to door close, with 24/7 unattended operation and multiple safety layers. This aligns with CATL's vision of an energy network where swapping becomes as quick and routine as refuelling, but adapted to compact e-bikes and motorcycles.

Running and Managing the Swap Network

From an operational perspective, HelloPower ensures that CATL swappable battery technology delivers reliable, scalable service across cities:

• Real-time battery monitoring for charge status, cycle count, and health indicators

• Smart station management to optimize availability, balance battery distribution, and schedule charging

• Data-driven fleet support for planning station deployment, fleet logistics, and energy provisioning

• Seamless integration with city infrastructure, including local energy grids, mobility platforms, and regulatory requirements

This behind-the-scenes orchestration allows HelloPower to transform CATL's laboratory innovations into a dependable, city-ready swappable battery network, while giving fleet operators, OEMs, and city stakeholders predictable performance and operational confidence.

How Stakeholders Gain from CATL-Powered Swap Networks

For Two-Wheeler OEMs and Assemblers

Dedicated two-wheeler power batteries from CATL joint development, delivered through our swap ecosystem, give OEMs a reliable energy platform they can design vehicles around. That means:

• A defined electrical and mechanical interface for swappable battery packs

• Access to Tier-1 cell technology and safety standards without building battery R&D in-house

• Compatibility with smart swap networks that are already live in major cities

By integrating with a CATL battery technology platform instead of creating closed, proprietary packs, OEMs can offer customers vehicles that plug into existing and future swap networks, improving adoption and residual value.

For Fleet Operators and Platforms

Delivery fleets and shared mobility operators care most about uptime, cost per kilometer, and safety. A CATL-backed battery swapping network built and operated by HelloPower addresses these pain points by:

• Eliminating charging downtime—riders exchange batteries instead of waiting hours at a charger

• Turning energy into a predictable service cost rather than a mix of fuel, home electricity, and ad-hoc maintenance

• Centralizing safety management in monitored cabinets and standardized packs instead of uncontrolled home-charging environments

Because the underlying CATL battery swap platform was conceived as an energy network from day one, fleets can scale volume and geography while keeping the same basic operating model.

For City and Energy Stakeholders

For municipalities and energy investors, the joint venture model between CATL, Hellobike, and Ant was explicitly created to build a travel ecosystem and position a basic energy network in cities. In concrete terms, that enables:

• Distributed, monitored energy infrastructure that supports urban logistics, commuting, and tourism

• Coordinated charging behavior with grid conditions via the intelligent management system

• A pathway away from unsafe charging practices in residential buildings and informal charging setups

HelloPower implements this vision on the ground: our smart swap stations serve as standardized urban energy assets that cities can plan around, while CATL continues to evolve the underlying battery technology and system architecture.

Why CATL's Two-Wheeler Battery Swapping Matters Beyond China

The CATL–Hello–Ant joint venture and its deployments were developed first in China, where electric two-wheelers and delivery platforms are already widespread. However, the underlying challenges—last-mile logistics, congested cities, and safety incidents caused by unregulated charging—are global.

By combining:

• CATL's battery technology and purpose-built two-wheeler power batteries

• An integrated system of intelligent lithium battery, intelligent battery-swapping cabinet, and cloud management

• Operational experience in building and running real swap networks

The HelloPower ecosystem offers an exportable blueprint for other countries that want to electrify two-wheeler mobility without repeating early-stage infrastructure mistakes. If you are evaluating CATL swappable battery solutions for electric two-wheelers, HelloPower provides direct access to the network, technology, and operational expertise developed within this joint venture.

Contact us today for a professional one-to-one consultation or a tailored solution for your project.