BAIC widens CATL swap deal; Electrify America opens 24-charger Orlando site

Three charging stories from the week of October 20: a carmaker widens its battery-swap deal, a charging network opens its biggest site, and a tribe adds chargers that never touch the grid.

BAIC widens its CATL swap deal, with a one-million-vehicle goal

BAIC Group will connect compatible models from several of its brands to CATL's Choco battery-swap network under an agreement the two companies signed in Beijing on October 22, CATL said. The strategic agreement covers vehicle development, swap battery supply, the swap network, a battery bank and new business models, and the companies are working toward a goal of one million battery-swap vehicles. BAIC will also open its dealer network so CATL can build swap stations at dealerships, and the two will explore jointly operated sites.

The million has no date attached. According to CnEVPost, BAIC's statement gave no timeline, named no additional models and put no number on the stations to be built. The deal deepens an existing one: the companies signed a swap agreement in June 2024, and the swap version of BAIC's Arcfox Beta S3, launched on May 22, already runs on CATL's Choco-SEB system, CnEVPost reports. CATL had built 2,520 swap stations across 200 Chinese cities as of September 29, the outlet says, citing figures CATL released earlier, with a long-term goal of 30,000.

CATL is collecting partners at a clip. CnEVPost says Huawei's automotive unit Newcool announced on October 19 that it had joined the Choco ecosystem, and BAIC already builds the Stelato brand with Huawei. On October 20 CATL expanded its heavy-truck swapping, saying it plans, with partners, to deploy 2,000 swap stations by 2027. Passenger-car swap networks are consolidating at the same time, with Geely agreeing to take 30% of NIO Power.

Electrify America opens its largest station, 24 chargers in Orlando

Electrify America has opened its largest charging station to date, 24 chargers at the Sand Lake Corners South shopping center in Orlando, Florida, the company announced on October 20. Each charger has a CCS connector and is rated at up to 350 kW. The site is near Interstate 4, Orlando International Airport, Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, and the company pitches it at locals and at regional travelers and visitors alike.

Florida is a sensible place for the biggest one. Electrify America says the state had the second-highest number of registered EVs in the United States in 2025, behind only California, and that it already operates more than 350 chargers at more than 60 stations there. The company also expects to open another Orlando location, with 10 chargers, though the release gives no date.

A California tribe adds five of Beam Global's off-grid solar chargers

The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians has deployed five of Beam Global's EV ARC off-grid, solar-powered chargers in California and ordered an ARC Mobility Trailer to go with them, Beam announced on October 21. Counting three EV ARC systems sold to the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians in Coachella, eight Beam units are now deployed across the two tribal communities. Beam says each EV ARC generates and stores its own electricity with integrated solar panels and an onboard battery, so it needs no construction, trenching, utility connection or electrical permit, and the trailer lets the tribe move charging as needs change.

A California Energy Commission grant to expand EV charging on tribally owned land supported the Dry Creek units, which were bought through Beam's GSA contract. Beam sees tribes as a market, pointing to 575 federally recognized tribes and to direct payments, equal to 30% of qualifying investments in eligible clean electricity generation and energy storage, that, Beam says, eligible tribal governments can receive under the Section 48E credit. Beam has previously sold to other tribal communities, including Northwest Indian College serving the Lummi Nation in Washington and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon. Chief executive Desmond Wheatley cited rising gasoline and diesel prices and the strain AI data centers and widespread electrification put on electrical infrastructure as reasons off-grid charging makes sense.