Key points in this article
How fast swap is scaling
In 2026 the battery-swap track drew more players and shed its 'fake-need' label. The Economic Information Daily reports NIO had 9,213 charge-swap stations by 17 Aug, including 4,022 swap stations, with over 120 million swaps done; it targets over 4,600 swap stations by year end. CATL's 'Chocolate' swap reached 2,000 stations across 180 cities and 31 provinces by 30 Jun, eyeing over 3,000 by year end.
Standards catching up
Policy and standards pave the way: the Defect Monitoring and Analysis Spec for swap-scenario traction batteries took effect 1 Jun 2026; MIIT's 2026 auto-standardisation key points push chassis-swap standards to approval and study swap compatibility. GB/T 32879-2025 (EV swap battery-box connector) took effect 1 Jan 2026 as the key cross-brand interoperability standard.
What it means for Yantai
For Yantai, community and public shelters are charge-first today, but swap's scale and standardisation signal 'charge-plus-swap coexistence'. Dongdian Huichong watches chassis-swap and interoperability standards while building compliant shelters, reserving interfaces for multi-mode future refuelling so residents get more choice.