CATL announced a modular battery platform for commercial vehicles, including a heavy-duty truck version with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers and megawatt charging reaching 80% in 25 minutes. The platform aims to shorten vehicle development cycles and facilitate battery upgrades without major changes to the vehicle structure.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) unveiled the TECTRANS II modular battery platform for commercial vehicles during the IAA Transportation 2026 trade fair in Hanover, Germany. The platform includes a version designed for heavy-duty trucks that the company says can offer an operating range of up to 1,000 kilometers, with support for megawatt charging and reaching 80% capacity in 25 minutes.
One Platform for Multiple Commercial Applications
TECTRANS II is based on modular battery packs that can be configured according to power and payload requirements. The architecture supports electric axle (e-axle) systems and central-drive systems, and it can also be configured for conventional charging or battery swapping.
CATL says the modular design allows battery technologies and pack configurations to be upgraded without making major changes to vehicle platforms. According to the company’s estimates, this could reduce commercial vehicle development cycles by about 50% and cut research and development costs by between 60% and 70%.
Specifications of the Heavy-Duty Truck Version
The battery’s stated gravimetric energy density is 170 watt-hours per kilogram. CATL says this could allow the vehicle to carry approximately 0.6 metric tons of additional payload when using the same capacity. The company also claims an overall round-trip efficiency of 96%, based on a low-resistance full-tab cell design.
The battery was designed for a service life of up to 12 years or 1.5 million kilometers, while retaining 70% of its capacity at the end of that period. This lifespan targets a key challenge in electric commercial vehicles, as trucks travel greater annual distances and operate at higher utilization rates than passenger cars.
Protection and Reliability
The pack includes an aluminum structure equipped with crush-resistant ribs, a reinforced bottom plate, and corrosion protection designed to last 15 years. It also uses independent and redundant battery management systems, allowing a failed section to be isolated while the other sections continue supplying power to the vehicle.
What Changes in Practice?
If the stated figures are achieved in actual commercial vehicles, the platform could reduce the impact of charging downtime on long-haul truck operations and could also give manufacturers a faster path to developing multiple models on a shared battery base. However, the source presents these figures as claims by CATL and does not provide details about the pack’s total weight, the testing conditions for the 1,000-kilometer range, or when the commercial vehicles that will use the platform will become available.
Alongside the announcement, CATL signed a memorandum of understanding with DHL Group to develop green charging and transportation corridors in Europe. The agreement builds on a partnership announced in 2024, expanding the focus from battery technology to infrastructure, operating networks, and initial electric vehicle trials in cooperation with manufacturers and other partners.