CATL’s Tectrans II commercial vehicle battery. Credit: CATL
- The heavy-duty truck version supports megawatt-level fast charging, reaching 80% in 25 minutes.
- CATL signed a memorandum of understanding with DHL to develop green freight corridors across Europe and work with automakers on purpose-built EVs.
CATL (HKEX: 3750) launched its next-generation Tectrans II commercial vehicle battery solution in Germany, offering up to 1,000 kilometers of range for heavy-duty trucks as it expands in the global commercial vehicle market.
The Chinese battery maker introduced the solution at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover on September 14, targeting range, charging and operating cost requirements for long-haul transport.
The heavy-duty truck version offers up to 1,000 km of range in its highest-capacity configuration and can charge to 80% in 25 minutes using megawatt-level fast charging, according to CATL.
Tectrans II uses a modular platform that accommodates different energy capacity and payload requirements by varying the number of standardized battery packs. It is compatible with both e-axle and central-drive architectures and supports switching between charging and battery swapping.
By standardizing battery pack dimensions, electrical interfaces and communication protocols, both new and existing vehicle models can adopt future battery upgrades without major changes to their platforms, CATL said.
The modular design can help automakers shorten vehicle development cycles by 50% and cut research and development costs by 60% to 70%, reducing the need to develop dedicated battery systems for individual models, the company said.
The battery has a gravimetric energy density of 170 Wh/kg, about 13% above the industry average. At the same battery capacity, vehicles can carry about 0.6 tons of additional payload, CATL said.
The solution achieves 96% system round-trip efficiency (RTE), helping reduce charging and discharging losses. The heavy-duty truck battery is designed for a service life of 12 years and 1.5 million kilometers with 70% capacity retention, according to the company.
Beyond heavy-duty trucks, Tectrans II will also cover medium-duty trucks and buses, serving applications including long-haul transport, ports, mines, urban delivery and passenger transport.
During the show, CATL also signed a memorandum of understanding with DHL Group to develop green freight corridors across Europe, extending their battery supply partnership into vehicle development and operations.
Building on their September 2024 agreement, the companies will draw on DHL’s logistics network and transport requirements to jointly develop purpose-built electric vehicles with automakers and other partners and launch pilot deployments.
The German launch continues CATL’s expansion of its commercial vehicle battery lineup. The company introduced the Tectrans brand in July 2024, initially targeting logistics and delivery before expanding into buses and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
In January, CATL launched its Tectrans II series for light commercial vehicles in China, including a low-temperature version using sodium-ion batteries. In July, it added an ultrafast-charging version with a claimed peak charging rate of 8C.
Those light commercial vehicle products serve different transport requirements from the heavy-duty truck solution introduced in Germany, broadening CATL’s offerings for commercial vehicle electrification.
CATL remains the leader in the global electric vehicle battery market. Its global battery installations totaled 289.6 GWh in the first 7 months of 2026, giving it a 39.9% market share, according to South Korean market research firm SNE Research.
The battery can be charged to 80% SOC in 6 minutes and 48 seconds, roughly matching the refueling time of gasoline vehicles.
