China's EV charging network surges to 20.7 million connectors

China's charging network for electric vehicles (EVs) continued to expand swiftly in January, with the number of charging connectors totaling 20.7 million by the end of last month, official data showed on Friday.

This figure marked a sharp increase of 49.6 percent from one year earlier, according to the data from the National Energy Administration.

Of these, around 4.8 million were public charging facilities while 15.9 million were private, up 31.2 percent and 56.1 percent year on year, respectively, the data showed.

The combined rated power of public EV charging facilities had reached 226 million kilowatts at the end of January, or approximately 47.01 kilowatts per charging facility on average, the data showed.

China's electric vehicle charging network is rapidly expanding from its eastern coastal strongholds into central and western regions, narrowing the infrastructure gap between cities and the countryside. By the end of 2025, 19 provinces had extended their charging networks to all townships.

Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows a clear shift toward more balanced distribution. In 2022, the top 10 provinces with the most charging facilities – mostly economically advanced regions like Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu – accounted for 71.4 percent of public charging piles. By 2025, that share had dropped to 65.7 percent, signaling that charging resources are being deployed more evenly across the country.

(With input from Xinhua)