China EV Charging Network Tops 21 Million Units, Up 46.9% YoY

Takeaways by AI

China now has 21.481 million EV charging points, up 46.9% year‑on‑year.
Private chargers drove growth, adding 442,000 units in March and making up 77% of the network.
Public charging power hit 234 MW average capacity ~48.06 kW per unit, supporting 40M NEVs.

On April 27, the National Energy Administration released data on China’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure for March 2026.

According to the national charging infrastructure monitoring platform, as of the end of March 2026, the total number of EV charging points in China reached 21.481 million units, representing a year-on-year increase of 46.9%.

2026 March National Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Data Report from the National Energy Administration, providing statistics on charging facilities and growth rates. — China’s EV charging infrastructure data

In March alone, 471,000 new charging facilities were added.

In terms of structure, the incremental growth was primarily driven by private charging installations. Public charging points increased by 29,000 units in March, while private chargers rose by 442,000 units, accounting for 93.8% of total additions.

Data show that by the end of March, public charging infrastructure reached 4.863 million units, up 28.1% year-on-year.

Private charging facilities totaled 16.618 million units, representing over 77% of the total, with a year-on-year increase of 53.5%.

An electric vehicle charging station with multiple cars parked, featuring workers assisting a driver at the charging point. — Highway charging facility

Power capacity is also improving. The total rated power of public charging points reached 234 million kW, with an average of approximately 48.06 kW per unit.

Meanwhile, the installed electrical capacity of private charging facilities stood at around 147 million kVA.

In terms of scale, China has built the world’s largest EV charging network, supporting the operation of more than 40 million new energy vehicles.

This expansion aligns with growth in the vehicle market. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, NEV sales in March 2026 reached 1.252 million units, accounting for 43.2% of total new vehicle sales.

NIO Power charging stations with solar panels overhead and an informational sign in a modern setup. — NIO’s charging pile

Automakers are also accelerating their own charging network deployments. As of now, NIO has built 8,791 charging and battery swap stations nationwide, including 4,984 charging stations and 28,612 charging piles.

Meanwhile, BYD has constructed 4,239 fast-charging stations as of early March, with plans to expand this network to 20,000 stations by the end of 2026.

These proprietary networks are increasingly complementing the public infrastructure system.

With the upcoming Labor Day holiday, the National Energy Administration expects a significant surge in charging demand.

Relevant authorities have issued a list of high-congestion service areas based on historical data and instructed local governments to prepare through equipment maintenance and the deployment of temporary charging facilities to meet peak demand.