Shanghai (ZXZC)- As of September 2021, XPeng Inc. (XPeng) had deployed in 121 Chinese cities a total of 439 own-brand supercharging stations, 40 of which were newly launched last month, the Guangzhou-based EV manufacturer announced on Thursday.

A XPeng P7 at XPeng's supercharging station; photo credit: XPeng

According to XPeng's update, the company's charging network has also included 108 destination charging stations, 27 of which were deployed last month, as well as 1,648 free charging stations that cover 221 cities across China.

XPeng is the first EV startup in China to offer free lifetime charging services for its customers, aiming to popularize its smart EVs by providing easy access to free charging facilities and improving customer experience.

Last month, XPeng began deploying its supercharging stations in 20 cities, including Mohe, China’s northernmost city.

The EV startup also signed contracts in September for 100 supercharging stations, indicating a rapid expansion of XPeng’s charging network in the near future.

The company wishes to deploy over 500 own-brand supercharging stations in the country by the end of this year and speed up the deployment of its charging system in non-first-/second-tier cities.

The plan for the fast expanding energy supply network is also designed to support XPeng’s vigorously growing sales. The carmaker saw its monthly deliveries for the first time topped 10,000 units in September, while also achieving a 199% year-on-year hike.