GAC Brings Battery Swap Technology: Revolution for Electric Vehicles?

BEIJING - GAC Group plans to introduce battery swap or battery exchange technology for electric vehicles in Indonesia. This step is part of the company’s strategy to accelerate the development of the new energy vehicle (NEV) ecosystem in the country. “From our experience in China, electric vehicles have been circulating on the roads for a long time, so second-life applications for batteries have been established for ages, including up to recycling. We will bring that technology to Indonesia to ensure this ecosystem runs smoothly,” said Haigang in Beijing, China, last weekend. In simple terms, battery swap allows electric vehicle users to exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one at a dedicated station, without waiting for the charging process like at a charging station. “In Thailand, in August (2026), we are already launching vehicles that support battery swap, and we hope to launch (GAC) battery swap models in Indonesia as soon as possible,” he said. It is known that in China, battery swap is typically used for commercial vehicles like taxis that require high mobility. One of the battery swap providers in China is Aulton. Electric vehicles that can swap batteries are those specifically designed with battery swap specifications. This means GAC sees great potential for implementing this technology in Indonesia, in line with the continuous growth of electric vehicles. If realised, battery swap technology has the potential to become one of the solutions to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in terms of time efficiency and ease of daily use.