China Targets 10,000+ EV Chargers at Highway Service Areas in 2026

Of the newly added charging guns, high-power charging facilities (above 60kW) will account for no less than 25%.

Recently, the Ministry of Transport announced at a routine press conference that it will launch an action plan to upgrade and improve highway service areas. One of the core measures is to add over 10,000 new charging guns in service areas nationwide, with high-power charging guns accounting for no less than 25% of the total.

According to official information, the charging infrastructure construction in 2026 will feature three distinct characteristics:

First, the scale of construction will reach a new level.

The plan for the year is to add over 10,000 new charging guns, marking another major infrastructure investment following the addition of 20,000 units in 2025. By the end of 2025, the cumulative number of charging guns built in national highway service areas had reached 71,500, covering over 98% of service areas. At this pace, the total number of charging guns in highway service areas is expected to exceed 80,000 by the end of 2026.

Second, the technological structure will continue to optimize.

No less than 25% of the newly added charging guns will be high-power charging facilities (above 60kW). This presents a sharp contrast to the landscape from three years ago, which was dominated by 60kW slow-charging facilities.

Finally, the spatial layout will be precisely focused.

Construction efforts will prioritize two types of areas: first, service areas that experience high charging demand during major holidays; second, busy stations where the daily utilization rate of charging facilities exceeds 40%. Simultaneously, priority will be given to ensuring supply along the main corridors of the national highway network and key freight transport routes.

The 2026 construction plan is not an isolated measure but a key part of the “Three-Year Doubling” Action Plan for Charging Facility Service Capacity in Highway Service Areas (2025-2027).

According to this plan, by the end of 2027, over 40,000 new or upgraded charging facilities with a capacity above 60kW, featuring a combination of ultra-fast and fast charging, will be built nationwide, achieving a doubling of service capacity.

Behind this strategy lies the charging pressure brought about by the explosive growth of new energy vehicles. It is reported that during the 2026 Spring Festival travel period, the total number of trips made by new energy vehicles nationwide is expected to reach 380 million, with the peak daily traffic flow on highways projected to hit 71 million vehicles.