HANOVER, Germany — Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. unveiled a new modular battery platform for commercial vehicles at IAA Transportation 2026, with its heavy-duty version offering up to 1,000 kilometers of range and megawatt-level charging. Called TECTRANS II, the platform is designed to cover a range of commercial vehicle applications by using standardized battery packs that can be configured for different energy and payload requirements. CATL said the architecture can support both e-axle and central-drive systems and can be configured for either conventional charging or battery swapping. The company said the standardized design is intended to allow battery technology and pack configurations to be upgraded without requiring major changes to vehicle platforms. CATL estimates that the approach can cut commercial vehicle development cycles by about 50% and reduce research and development costs by 60% to 70%. For heavy-duty trucks, the maximum configuration provides a claimed driving range of up to 1,000 kilometers, or about 621 miles. CATL said the system can reach 80% charge in 25 minutes using megawatt-level charging, targeting long-haul operations where charging downtime has a direct effect on vehicle utilization. The battery has a gravimetric energy density of 170 watt-hours per kilogram, which CATL says allows a vehicle to carry about 0.6 metric ton more payload at the same battery capacity. The company also claims a 96% system round-trip efficiency from its full-tab, low-impedance battery design. CATL has designed the heavy-duty battery for a service life of 12 years or 1.5 million kilometers, with 70% capacity retention at the end of that period. The durability target is intended to address one of the central concerns surrounding battery-electric commercial vehicles, where high annual mileage and vehicle utilization place greater demands on battery packs than passenger cars. TECTRANS II also incorporates structural protection and redundant battery-management systems intended for commercial vehicle use. CATL said the battery enclosure has an aluminum structure with crush-resistant ribs, a reinforced bottom plate and corrosion protection designed for 15 years. Independent battery-management branches can isolate a failed section while allowing the remaining sections to continue supplying power. The platform is part of CATL’s broader push into commercial vehicle electrification, which the company describes as the next major phase of the energy transition after passenger vehicles. TECTRANS II is intended to cover applications ranging from heavy trucks to medium-duty vehicles and buses. At IAA, CATL also signed a memorandum of understanding with DHL Group to develop green freight corridors in Europe. The companies plan to combine DHL’s logistics operations with CATL’s battery technology and work with vehicle manufacturers and other partners on electric commercial vehicles and pilot deployments. The DHL agreement builds on a partnership announced in 2024 and shifts part of the focus from battery technology to the infrastructure and operating networks needed to deploy electric freight vehicles at scale. With the TECTRANS II platform, CATL is targeting a segment in which battery size, charging time, payload and vehicle utilization are more tightly linked than in passenger vehicles. A 1,000-kilometer range combined with megawatt charging would allow electric heavy trucks to cover substantially longer routes while reducing the time required to recharge between trips.
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