New EV Battery Swapping Stations Are Optimized For Thailand Tourists And Logistics Hubs
The global EV battery swapping market has been taking off like a rocket, sparking some measure of criticism among EV industry watchers. After all, why swap a whole battery when you can get a fast charge in just a matter of minutes? The Chinese firm U Power Limited has an answer for that. Among other attributes, its new swapping station is a good fit for the grid resources typical of coastal communities, particularly those beset with swarms of tourists.
A New EV Battery Swapping Station For Thailand
U Power launched in 2013 with a modular, transportable EV battery swapping system it calls UOTTA. Coincidentally, that was the same year Tesla introduced its first swapping station, located in California.
The lone California station was the beginning and the end of Tesla’s EV battery swapping journey. Meanwhile, U Power went on to tap the swapping market for electric delivery trucks and other key sectors ripe for the picking, including coastal communities where the electricity infrastructure is typically limited. In contrast to the high-powered needs of EV fast charging stations, the swapping solution enables battery owners to recharge their batteries slowly, during off-peak hours, avoiding the expensive upgrades needed to support conventional EV fast charging.
Among other markets, U Power has big plans for Thailand. Earlier today the company showed off its UOTTA station at the 2025 Bangkok International Motor Show in Thailand. The stage has already been set for introducing the station to commercial use in Phuket through U Power’s Thai subsidiary U Swap Co Ltd., which has partnered with the Thai energy firm Susco (Susco Public Company Limited) and other stakeholders aiming to accelerate EV uptake in Thailand.
As described by U Power, the Phuket station will be followed by many, using Susco as a springboard for deploying the technology in Thailand’s logistics hubs as well as its renowned tourist attractions.
“Under the partnership framework finalized in March 2025, the companies will co-manage the station’s commercial launch while developing standardized deployment protocols for coastal tourism markets,” U Power explains.
One EV Battery Swapping Station To Rule Them All
In a press release announcing the successful demonstration, U Swap was determined to leave little room for swapping skeptics. U Swap CEO Jamie Zhang threw down the gauntlet, stating that the new station is “about redefining Southeast Asia’s EV infrastructure standards.”
“As Thailand’s first-mover, we’re establishing a replicable island-optimized swap model for deployment across tourism hubs,” he added.
U Swap has already enlisted taxi fleets and ride-hailing vehicles to launch commercial operations at the Phuket station, which will serve as a performance validation platform in addition to showcasing the technology for broader use.
“Notably, by fostering a collaborative and win-win ecosystem, the Company empowers local energy partners to adopt UOTTA’s open-architecture platform, enabling sustainable infrastructure expansion with minimized capital burden,” the company notes.
EV Sales Have Nowhere To Go But Up
The thin-skinned Commander-in-Chief who occupies the Oval Office over here in the US is trying to slow down the electric vehicle revolution as best he can. He has actually succeeded, at least as applied to Tesla, which saw its EV sales fall off a cliff after CEO Elon Musk linked his fortunes, and those of his companies, to the rightward direction of US politics.
Other EV makers are doing a much better job of growing the market for zero emission mobility, with the help of EV battery stakeholders and supportive public policies. In Thailand, for example, swap-enabled EVs qualify for public subsidy through 2027.
“As Thailand’s pioneer operational battery swap provider, we’re delivering infrastructure that grows in lockstep with market demand, supported by cross-sector partnerships and aligned with national policy frameworks,” explained U Power CEO Johnny Lee.
“This public demonstration marks more than a technical milestone — it’s a blueprint for scalable electrification across ASEAN’s tourism economies,” he added for good measure.
Three Minutes Per Swap!
Among the firms partnering with U Swap is the startup UNEX EV. As with U Swap, UNEX EV is focused like a laser on overcoming EV buyer hesitation linked to concerns about battery life and charging times. The swapping model puts those concerns to bed, ensuring that each battery is properly charged and inspected before it goes into the car (see lots more swapping background here).
“The UNEX EV intelligent mobility platform will help monitor battery health (State of Health – SOH) to effectively extend its service life,” explained the startup’s co-founder and CEO, Pitak Pruitthisarikorn.
“It also helps operators to monitor and manage energy usage in real-time, effectively controlling business and travel costs,” he elaborated, noting that the swap will take just three minutes.
“To accelerate the transition to clean energy transportation, UNEX EV’s intelligent mobility platform, combined with UOTTA’s advanced battery-swapping technology, will revolutionize the EV ecosystem,” UNEX EV enthused in a press statement.
From Gas Stations To Swapping Stations
As described by UNEX EV, the plan for Thailand involves leveraging Susco’s existing network of gas stations to deploy the new EV battery swapping stations. If that has a familiar ring, you may be thinking of CATL and Sinopec, which are aiming to install 10,000 swapping stations at existing Sinopec locations in China.
Susco only has a few hundred stations in Thailand, but apparently that was enough to make it a ripe target for launching a nationwide network of swapping stations.
Speaking of ripe targets, the trade organization NACS counts 127,588 convenience stores in the US that also sell fuel. In all, NACS notes that there are 145,000 fueling stations in the US, including locations at marinas and the like.
That’s just fine with UNEX EV. The company is aiming to introduce EV battery swapping to the full range of electric mobility devices, including boats and aircraft as well as passenger and commercial ground vehicles, and drones, to boot.
Still, it will probably be a while before EV battery swapping makes a splash in the US. The California firm Ample picked up the ball Elon Musk dropped, but it is taking its swapping stations over to Japan for a demonstration in Tokyo, aiming to help EV stakeholders overcome buyer hesitation.
Then there’s the Canadian battery swapping firm Visionary Holdings, which could also plumb the US market for opportunities. However, that firm is also sending its swapping stations overseas, where they are much more likely to receive a friendlier reception than here in the US.
If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the comment thread. Better yet, find your representatives in Congress and tell them what you think about the state of relations between the US and Canada, and for that matter the rest of the world.
Photo (cropped): Thailand has just received the first of many EV battery swapping stations, aimed at accelerating EV uptake in key tourist and logistics hubs (courtesy of U Power via PR Newswire).
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