China vows to double EV charging capacity by 2027 in major nationwide expansion
The top economic planner says the goal will also support Beijing’s plan to stimulate domestic consumption
The expanded network will provide more than 300 million kilowatts of public charging capacity, enough to meet the needs of over 80 million EVs, according to a document released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
The action plan, unveiled on Wednesday, also calls for installing 1.6 million new direct-current (DC) fast chargers in urban areas by 2027, including 100,000 high-power models.
To improve network efficiency and reliability, it further outlines efforts to upgrade or replace facilities that have been in service for more than eight years as well as charging platforms below 800 volts.
“(China’s charging infrastructure) still faces issues such as an uneven layout of public networks, suboptimal facility design and functionality, insufficient charging services in residential areas, weak power supply support and inefficient operations and management,” the NDRC said in a separate statement.
As one of China’s flagship products, EVs have been widely adopted at home and have also boosted exports. As of September, new-energy vehicles – including pure electric and hybrid models – accounted for 57.8 per cent of domestic passenger retail sales, according to data from the China Automobile Dealers Association.