China's Highway Charging Network Only Average?

According to 2024 numbers calculated by the International Council on Clean Transportation, China's EV charging network along highways exceeds that of the U.S. in density, but lags significantly behind Europe's highway charging infrastructure.

While China has established one of the biggest EV fleets and one of the biggest charging infrastructures in the world, many of these facilities are clustered in large cities where EV users live, leaving behind large swaths of the big country. This is particularly problematic during travel rush periods like the current one leading up to Chinese New Year on February 17. Highway range anxiety in connection to holidays in mentioned frequently in reports on Chinese EV users.

China is addressing this issue in its three-year action plan between 2025 and 2027. At the end of last year, China's National Energy Administration announced that more than 71,000 charging plugs were now available along highways, up around 20,000 from late 2024. 10,000 more are expected to be added until the end of 2026 which leaves the ambitious goal of completing 30,000 more additions in 2027.

Earlier figures from the ICCT illustrate how large disparities are within the European continent, with Norway leading the charge at six times the number of highway chargers of China as of 2022.