An NEV is being charged. (Photo: VCG)
China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) vowed to improve new-energy vehicle (NEV) charging facilities along national highways, according to a construction outline issued by the ministry on Thursday, a further step to meet the NEV owners' charging demands and China's carbon emissions reduction goals.
The outline flagged the need for highway charging facilities capable of servicing 20 million NEVs by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), which will be conducted in phases to gradually densify NEV chargers along national highways and expressways.
The ministry said China is expected to deploy charging facilities to all highway service areas except those in high altitude areas by the end of 2022. Highways connecting provinces will provide charging services by the end of 2023, with highways connecting rural roads covered by 2025.
MOT's data showed that China was home to 10.01 million NEVs as of June, 2022, with that number expected to expand to 25 million in 2025, and 80 million in 2030.
To date, transport authorities and highway operators have built over 13,300 NEV chargers in 3,102 service areas, covering 6,618 highways, the MOT said. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers' data showed that the number of NEV charging facilities has reached 3.92 million units, up 101.2 percent year-on-year.
The NEV industry development outline issued in November 2020 stated that the construction of NEV chargers would be eligible for financial support and use of public infrastructure.
