China aims to complete the building of an intelligent and highly efficient charging infrastructure system that is able to satisfy the charging demands of over 20 million electric vehicles EVs) by the end of the 14th five-year plan period, namely, the year of 2025, according to a document recently issued by several Chinese governmental departments including the National Development and Reform Commission NDRC). 

Photo credit: Star Charge

According to the document, China will strive to further improve the public charging network deployment in central urban areas, boost the construction of public charging facilities in peripheral urban areas, and deploy battery swapping stations based on local conditions of different regions. Besides, charging stations for special uses will be built in parking spaces to fully take the charging demands of buses, taxis, and logistics vehicles into account.

The Chinese government also urges a faster formulation of the scheme for the deployment of expressway fast-charging networks. To achieve the goal, the standard about expressway fast-charging station construction will be clarified and rapid-charging facilities will be included in the supporting infrastructures at highway service plazas as soon as possible.

By the end of Dec. 2021, there were 2.617 million charging piles deployed across China, up 70.1% from the same period last year, according to the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance EVCIPA).

As an important power supply facility complementary to EV charging, battery swap network in China was experiencing rapid expansion as well. As of December 2021, China had a total of 1,298 battery swap stations, 614 of which were newly built in 2021, according to the EVCIPA.

China's new energy vehicle NEV) parc amounted to 7.84 million units by the end of 2021, 81.63% of which were full-electric vehicles, according to the data offered by China's Ministry of Public Security. As of Dec. 2021, NEVs accounted for 2.6% of the country's total car parc.