China plans to add 3,000 charging piles at highway rest stops nationwide

China will build 3,000 more charging piles at highway service stations nationwide this year, according to a senior official.

The country had built 9.92 million charging piles by the end of May this year, a growth of 56 percent year on year, Li Chao, a spokeswoman of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

So far, China has built the world's largest and most comprehensive charging infrastructure in terms of quantity, service coverage and the variety of charging piles, according to Li.

The country will continue to optimize its charging infrastructure due to the rapid growth of new energy vehicles, Li said.

"In terms of intercity transportation, we will accelerate the construction of roadside charging infrastructure and battery-swapping facilities. The country will add 3,000 charging piles and 5,000 charging parking lots this year," said Li.

"In terms of urban transportation, we will promote the construction and upgrading of community charging facilities in accordance with local conditions and make them align with urban overhauls, old residential community renovation and comprehensive community development projects," Li said. "In terms of transportation in rural areas and counties, we will increase support for charging infrastructure construction in rural areas and set up demonstration counties and towns for charging infrastructure use and development."

China will also improve the operation of its charging infrastructure, accelerate the establishment of a national monitoring service platform for charging facilities and improve the search service for highway charging stations, according to Li.

The country will work on technological breakthroughs in vehicle-internet interaction, upgrade the power grid, implement the peak-valley time-of-use tariff for electricity and increase support for land use and financing, Li said.