Aulton New Energy

What Aulton New Energy does

Aulton New Energy (奥动新能源), founded in 2000 as Shanghai Dianba and rebranded in 2016, is China's pioneer and the global leader in electric-vehicle battery swapping. The company builds and operates a battery swap station network — over 800 stations across 60 cities — supported by proprietary chassis-clip technology that enables a 20-second passenger-vehicle swap, a 30-second light-truck swap, and a 40-second heavy-truck swap, the fastest commercial speeds globally. The platform supports multi-brand vehicle compatibility across 16+ OEM partners and 30+ vehicle models, and integrates bidirectional V2S2G (Vehicle-to-Station-to-Grid) energy flow so that each station also functions as a distributed energy storage asset.

Aulton monetizes through per-swap transaction fees charged to fleet operators (taxis, ride-hailing, commercial vehicles), battery asset leasing via its "Battery Bank" model, battery lifecycle management services (in partnership with Huayou Recycling), grid/energy storage services (peak-shaving, frequency regulation under 500 ms response), and carbon credit trading. Distribution is achieved through enterprise sales, regional joint ventures (Sinopec, BP, TotalEnergies, SoftBank Energy, Yunnan Energy Investment), and a consumer-facing mobile app. By October 2024, more than 110,000 vehicles were active on the network, cumulative mileage exceeded 11 billion kilometers, and cumulative swap cycles had surpassed 82.52 million (November 2023). The company targets 10,000 stations serving 10 million NEVs over time.

The company's strategic plan is anchored by RMB 3.5 billion of cumulative capital, 4,500+ patents, participation in 108+ domestic and international industry standards, the world's first EU CE certification for an EV battery swapping system, and a Hurun Global Unicorn Index listing (2022–2024). Backed by NIO Capital, BAIC BJEV, Sinopec, BP, and government-linked funds, Aulton is positioning itself as a global smart-energy service platform rather than a pure-play Chinese infrastructure operator, with active partnerships exploring Southeast Asia (CP Group/Thailand), Japan (SoftBank), and broader overseas corridors.

Name

Aulton New Energy

Legal name

Aulton New Energy Automotive Technology Co., Ltd.

Website

https://aulton.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Aulton New Energy (奥动新能源) is China's pioneer and global leader in EV battery swapping, operating 800+ stations across 60 cities and serving taxi, ride-hailing, and commercial fleet operators with proprietary 20-second multi-brand swap technology and integrated battery-bank and grid services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

EV Battery Swapping Services

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

EV & Hybrid Battery Service, Diagnostics & Reconditioning (TLAKAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Battery Repair, Refurbishment & Remanufacturing Services (Module/Pack Repair, Rework) (EUAFACAI), Lifecycle Analytics, LCA & Circularity Consulting (Footprinting, Material Flow Analysis) (EUAFACAK)

Keywords

• EV battery swapping
• Electric vehicle charging
• Battery asset management
• Vehicle-to-grid services
• Commercial fleet energy

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Battery Swapping Service Fees: Revenue generated from per-swap fees charged to vehicle operators (taxis, ride-hailing, commercial fleets) using the battery swapping network. The service model decouples battery ownership from vehicle purchase, enabling subscription-like recurring revenue per swap.
2. Battery Asset Management / Battery Bank: Battery leasing and financing services through partnerships with financial institutions. Batteries are owned by Aulton's battery bank and rented to operators, creating recurring revenue from battery assets.
3. Battery Lifecycle Management Services: Services around battery health monitoring, cascade utilization (second-life applications), and recycling through partnerships like 华友循环. Revenue from battery value chain beyond first use.
4. Energy Storage / Grid Services: V2S2G services enabling station-to-grid power flow for peak-shaving, frequency regulation, and demand response. Revenue from grid service compensation and electricity trading.
5. Carbon Credit Trading: Revenue from carbon emission reduction credits generated through electric vehicle adoption enabled by battery swapping, contributing to carbon neutrality goals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aulton New Energy operates a battery swapping service network for electric vehicles, deploying proprietary chassis-clip swapping stations that exchange depleted batteries for fully charged ones in 20 seconds for passenger vehicles, 30 seconds for light trucks, and 40 seconds for heavy-duty trucks. The company provides multi-brand compatible swapping across 800+ stations in 60 Chinese cities, complemented by battery financial services (battery bank/leasing), battery lifecycle management, V2S2G grid services, and a mobile app for end-user access.

Product overview

Aulton New Energy operates as a comprehensive battery swapping ecosystem with a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is the battery swapping station network enabled by the company's proprietary 20-second ultra-fast chassis buckle technology, which supports multi-brand vehicle compatibility across passenger vehicles, light trucks, and heavy-duty trucks. This core infrastructure is supported by the AI-powered Intelligent Operation Management Platform for station management and safety monitoring. Key modules include the Battery Digital Full Dimensional Imaging System for battery lifecycle management, the V2S2G energy storage system enabling grid interaction, the Battery Pack Health Assessment System, Battery Bank financial services for battery leasing/assetization, and the Aulton Battery Swapping mobile App for end-user access. The company also offers battery swapping stations in generations 2.0 through 7.0, with the latest generation supporting 40-second heavy-duty truck swaps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Battery Swapping Service
• Battery Bank / Battery Financial Services
• Battery Lifecycle Management Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 1-minute total service time (vs. 30+ minutes for fast charging)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• GAC Group (广汽集团)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2024Deep strategic cooperation discussions between GAC Chairman and Aulton Chairman. Focus on deepening battery swapping strategic cooperation, including swapping vehicle development and battery financial services. AION S swapping version already in commercial operation in select cities.
• Guangdong Yueda (广东越达)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2024Strategic cooperation for ride-hailing fleet deployment. Plan to deploy 1,800+ swapping vehicles by February 2025 and 10,000 vehicles by end of 2025 across Greater Bay Area. Partnership includes potential three-way collaboration with Aofly Entertainment for IP marketing.
• Fukuda Aolin (福田奥铃)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2024Light truck OEM partnership with Fukuda's Aolin brand for urban logistics and delivery applications.
• Yunnan Energy Investment Group (云南能投)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2024Exploration of charging/swapping integration, commercial vehicle swapping, and battery asset commercialization. Partnership with Yunnan Energy's subsidiaries including Smart Energy and Yuneng Capital for city charging-swapping operations.
• Fukuda Motors (福田汽车)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2024Commercial vehicle partnership for light truck and heavy truck battery swapping solutions. Discussion of light truck 30-second swap and heavy truck 40-second swap deployment. Planned cooperation on standard battery packs and three-electric systems.
• Huayou Recycling (华友循环)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2024Strategic cooperation signed April 2024 with 华友钴业 subsidiary for battery lifecycle management. Innovative '共投+共享' battery financial model for taxi fleets. Full lifecycle partnership covering battery asset management, swapping-storage integration, after-market services, and recycling.
• CP Group (正大集团)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2024Exploration of Thailand and ASEAN market opportunities. CP Group sees high alignment between Thai taxi/pickup use cases and swapping model. Partnership to bring Chinese swapping solution to Thailand.
• BP (英国石油bp)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 November 2021Joint venture cooperation agreement signed November 2021 to establish city-level joint venture companies. BP made strategic investment in Aulton subsidiary, forming Guangzhou Aulton New Energy Technology Co. Joint development of global green battery swapping energy ecological network. BP aims to provide the fastest and most convenient EV charging solutions including sub-1-minute battery swap.
• Sinopec (中国石化)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2021Strategic cooperation agreement signed April 2021 to deploy battery swapping stations within Sinopec's 30,000+ gas stations across China. Plans to build 5,000 stations and 100 city-level battery swapping networks by 2025. Joint creation of multi-functional integrated energy service platform combining petroleum, gas, hydrogen, and electricity.
• Total Energies (道达尔能源)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic partnership with global energy giant Total Energies as part of Aulton's ecosystem with Sinopec, BP, and Total to build comprehensive international energy network for battery swapping services.
• BAIC BJEV (北汽新能源)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Major strategic investor and OEM partner. BAIC and Aulton collaborated to provide interconnected green transportation for Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. BAIC EU models compatible with Aulton swapping network.
• FAW Group (一汽)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMajor OEM partner with joint development of battery swapping vehicle models. FAW红旗 brand participates in Aulton's swapping network with dedicated station deployment in Changchun.
• Dongfeng Motor (东风汽车)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerStrategic OEM partner with multiple battery swapping vehicle models. Partnership includes Dongfeng Aeolus brand with station deployment in Wuhan through Sinopec Hubei.
• Changan Automobile (长安汽车)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerStrategic OEM partner with city-level battery swapping service network launch in Chongqing. Joint development of multiple swapping vehicle models.
• SAIC Motor (上汽集团)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerStrategic partnership with SAIC for ROEWE Ei5 battery swapping model launch in Shanghai. SAIC ROEWE became first commercial swapping vehicle in Shanghai with hundreds deployed in 2023.
• Dongfeng Nissan (东风日产)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner with battery swapping vehicle development collaboration. Vehicles compatible with Aulton swapping network.
• Hozon Auto (合众新能源)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOEM partner with NETA brand battery swapping vehicles developed for Aulton network.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NIO Power: NIO's in-house battery swapping network, the largest dedicated passenger EV swap operator in China with thousands of stations. Operates primarily for NIO vehicles but expanding with the Onvo brand; directly competes with Aulton for fleet and consumer swap customers in the same Chinese cities.
• CATL Choco-SEB (Qiji Energy): CATL's standardized battery swap service and 'Choco-SEB' (chocolate battery swap) platform. Backed by the world's largest battery maker with broad OEM partnerships, CATL is rapidly scaling a competing swap network and could set the dominant industry standard that Aulton must integrate with.
• Geely (Lidx Energy / Geespace): Geely's in-house battery swap network built around its own brands (Lynk & Co, Geely Auto, etc.) and ecosystem partnerships. Operates captive swap stations primarily for Geely-affiliated vehicles, competing with Aulton for Chinese fleet operators and OEM partnerships.
• Star Charge (TELD): One of China's largest EV charging network operators, increasingly moving into battery swapping and integrated energy services. Competes with Aulton for fleet operator relationships and city-level site access across China.
• Gogoro: Taiwan-based leader in battery swapping for electric two-wheelers, with the most mature swap-as-a-service model at scale globally. Conceptually comparable in subscription-style battery usage, though applied to e-scooters rather than passenger EVs or trucks.

Others

• Sinopec (Battery Swap Business): Aulton's flagship strategic partner with 30,000+ gas stations being leveraged for swap deployment, but Sinopec also operates its own swap infrastructure and energy services. Represents both a critical distribution channel and a potential competitor depending on JV structure.
• BAIC BJEV: Strategic investor and OEM partner of Aulton, but also historically operated its own swap stations for the BAIC EU series. Represents the OEM-side counterpart that competes or collaborates depending on vehicle-specific swap standards.

Emerging players

• Ample: US-based modular battery swapping startup focused on passenger EVs using autonomous robotic stations. Operates pilot fleets and is pre-scale relative to Aulton, but represents an emerging Western competitor with comparable service model and fleet operator go-to-market.
• Sun Mobility: India-based battery swapping operator for two-wheelers and three-wheelers, with a pay-per-use model comparable in spirit to Aulton's per-swap transaction pricing. Operates at smaller scale and in a different geography, but is a relevant comparable in the swap-as-a-service category.

Broad incumbents

• State Grid Corporation of China (EV Energy Service): China's state-owned utility operating extensive EV charging infrastructure and exploring battery swap pilots. As a broad incumbent in energy services and grid integration, it represents both a potential V2S2G grid partner and a long-term competitive force in integrated energy services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aultonnewenergy

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aulton New Energy