GAC Group (HKG: 2238) EV brand GAC Aion officially announced on April 5, 2026 that a battery swap version of its AION RT family sedan will go on sale on April 8, 2026 at 19:00 CST. The model supports CATL's (SHE: 300750) Choco-SEB battery swap platform and is billed as capable of a full battery replenishment in just 99 seconds — marketed under the tagline "rapid battery swapping, 99 seconds to full."

AION RT battery swappable version (AION)

The AION RT refreshed model debuted on September 22, 2025 as a compact family sedan, offered in four variants with official prices running from 99,800 CNY (c. $14,500) to 123,800 CNY (c. $18,000), with post-government-subsidy pricing starting at 85,800 CNY (c. $12,500).

The battery swap variant extends the full AION RT lineup's upper ceiling to 165,800 CNY (c. $24,100) as of its April 8 launch date. GAC Aion has not confirmed whether a battery-as-a-service pricing option — purchasing the car without the battery and paying a monthly subscription — will be offered for the RT swap version, though this model underpinned the earlier Aion UT Super.

The Aion UT Super, launched in November 2025 in collaboration with CATL and JD.com, was the first vehicle built on the Choco-SEB platform to enter the market. Targeting the 100,000 CNY segment, it offered a battery rental starting price of 49,900 CNY (c. $7,250) against a full-vehicle price of 89,900 CNY (c. $13,100).

CATL also signed a 10-year comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with GAC Group in November 2025, establishing a sustained multi-model commitment to the Chocolate swap ecosystem.

The AION RT battery swap version retains the powertrain and platform of the standard model submitted to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in late 2025. A single 150 kW (201 hp) front-mounted electric motor drives the car. Two CATL lithium iron phosphate battery options are available: a 55.1 kWh pack with a CLTC range of 520 km (323 miles) at 11.7 kWh/100 km, and a 68.1 kWh unit delivering 650 km (404 miles) at 11.9 kWh/100 km.

AION RT (AION)

Standard plug-in sessions run on a 400V silicon carbide fast-charging architecture. The body spans 4,865 mm in length on a 2,775 mm wheelbase and achieves a 0.208Cd drag coefficient. Driver assistance uses a 126-line LiDAR sensor paired with an Nvidia Orin-X processor.

CATL's Choco-SEB network reached 1,020 stations across 45 Chinese cities by the end of 2025 — built within a single year. For 2026, the company has raised its construction target to more than 3,000 stations in 140-plus cities, with high-speed highway coverage added for the first time.

The long-term plan calls for 30,000 stations nationally and an open franchise programme. The AION RT is not the only model entering this ecosystem: Chery's iCar V23 submitted battery swap regulatory filings alongside the RT in late 2025, and BAIC Arcfox announced a swap-capable pure-electric sedan in March 2026.

CATL Choco-Swap (CATL)

Whether a swap-capable family sedan priced under 100,000 CNY can pull battery swapping out of the ride-hailing market and into mainstream private ownership is the question the April 8 launch will begin to answer.

Conversion rate: 1 USD = 6.88 CNY as of April 5, 2026