China’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network has expanded rapidly over the last year, with the number of installed charging outlets increasing by 43% to 23.1 million units by the end of June 2026 compared with a year earlier, according to data released by the country’s National Energy Administration (NEA).
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The network expansion reflects the central government’s efforts in recent years to accelerate the country’s transition to new energy vehicles (NEVs), which currently comprise mainly plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
The data show that the rapid growth in the charging network in the last year was driven by individual customers, with the number of private charging points surging by 50% to 18 million charging points compared with a year earlier, with a combined capacity of 155 million kilovolt-amperes.
The NEA also noted that the quality of the charging network has improved significantly, with more fast-charging systems installed to meet growing demand of EV owners.
NEV sales in China fell by over 13% to 5.090 million units in the first six months of 2026, according to wholesale data compiled by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), accounting for over 51% of total passenger car and commercial vehicle sales in the country, while the overall domestic vehicle market declined by 21% to 9.921 million units in this period.
