Record-breaking EV Charging Demand on China’s Highways During May Day Holiday
China saw a sharp surge in electric vehicle (EV) charging activity on highways over the May Day holiday, highlighting the rapid adoption of new energy vehicles and the robustness of the country’s charging infrastructure.
According to the National Energy Administration (NEA), between 1 May and 5 May, a total of 3.98 million charging sessions were recorded across the national highway network, with total charging volume reaching 94.93 million kilowatt-hours.
The data, drawn from 57,600 monitored highway charging points, represents a 52.8% year-on-year increase. Daily average charging volume hit 18.99 million kilowatt-hours, 2.34 times the average for normal working days this year.
The surge reflects a profound shift in travel behaviour, as EVs move beyond short-distance commuting to become a mainstream choice for long-distance travel.
The Ministry of Transport estimates that during the holiday, highways handled an average of 15.4 million EV trips per day, accounting for 24% of total traffic and marking a 33% year-on-year rise.
This growth is underpinned by a rapidly expanding charging network. By the end of March 2026, China had 21.48 million charging facilities nationwide, up 46.9% year-on-year, including 4.86 million public chargers.
Highway coverage now exceeds 98% of service areas, with upgrades such as high-power chargers and mobile charging stations deployed to ease peak-time pressure.
Looking ahead, the NEA has outlined plans to further upgrade highway charging infrastructure, enhance support for heavy-duty EVs, and develop vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities.
These efforts aim to accommodate rising demand, improve service quality, and underpin the low-carbon transformation of the transport sector.
The May Day data underscores how China’s EV ecosystem—driven by technological progress, policy support and improved infrastructure—is enabling greener, more convenient travel and supporting the nation’s carbon neutrality goals.
