Cui Dongshu noted that China's charging infrastructure has developed rapidly in recent years. Assuming public chargers are utilized three times more than private ones (a 3:1 ratio), the ratio of charging facilities to pure EV sales from January to September 2025 reached 0.77, nearing a 1:1 balance. Due to a surge in public charger installations, the incremental vehicle-to-charger ratio has reached a relatively ample level of 0.77:1, indicating more chargers than vehicles and resulting in operational divergence—older chargers show extremely low utilization.
According to data from the China Charging Alliance compiled by the CPCA, China's public charging infrastructure totaled 4.476 million units by September 2025, with a monthly increase of 160,000 units and a year-on-year rise of 95,000 units. Private chargers accompanying vehicles reached 13.59 million, up 555,000 from the previous month. The average monthly charging volume per public charger in September was 1,716 kWh, showing improvement from 1,514 kWh in September 2024.
Given the slow development of battery-swapping stations and insufficient demand, promoting private slow charging is the right approach. More private chargers are needed to ensure sustainable growth. With the rapid expansion of new energy vehicles, especially EVs, China must further develop a high-quality charging infrastructure system, upgrade outdated low-power AC chargers, and expand high-power DC fast charging to support green, low-carbon transportation and modern infrastructure development.
1. **Overall Charging Infrastructure Status** Charging infrastructure provides essential energy services for EVs. By September 2025, China had 18.063 million charging points, up 54.5% YoY. Public chargers accounted for 4.476 million (40% YoY growth), with a total rated power of 199 million kW (avg. 44.36 kW per charger). Private chargers reached 13.587 million (60% YoY growth), with a reported power capacity of 120 million kVA.
2. **Monthly Growth Trends** Public chargers increased by 975,000 units from end-2024 to September 2025, while private chargers grew by 4.35 million. Battery-swapping stations added only 551 units, reflecting slower growth. Private charging dominates, with 75% of users relying on personal, shared, or residential/commercial chargers. Others use roadside or mall-based public chargers.
3. **Regional Distribution** Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong lead in charging infrastructure, while Shanghai remains significant. Beijing has dropped out of the top 10.
4. **Charging Operators** China's charging operators fall into four categories: - Integrated manufacturers and operators (e.g., Star Charge, Teld, Wanma Aichong). - Grid-owned networks (State Grid, Southern Grid). - Automaker-built networks (Tesla, NIO-SW, XPENG-W, SAIC Anyue, GAC Energy). - Third-party SaaS providers (e.g., Yunkuai Chong, Xiaoju Charging).
The industry exhibits a Matthew effect, with leading operators consolidating market share. High-power DC chargers are growing, with top performers like GAC Energy (9,850 kWh/month), NIO-SW (~2,277 kWh), and Tesla (2,803 kWh). Older chargers average just 100+ kWh monthly, highlighting vast efficiency gaps.
5. **Demand-Supply Analysis** With 826,000 pure EVs sold domestically in September 2025 and 160,000 public/555,000 private chargers added, the vehicle-to-charger ratio stands at 1:0.8, indicating ample supply. However, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) with minimal charging needs (e.g., Shanghai's fuel-only usage) skew data. Adjusting for public charger utilization (3:1 ratio), the ratio is 0.77 chargers per EV, nearing 1:1.
China's NEV development plan emphasizes private slow charging (targeting >90% share). Currently, slower private charger growth hampers EV adoption. Surveys show higher satisfaction among private charger users regarding availability, layout, pricing, and billing accuracy. Private chargers, predominantly home-based, remain the backbone of charging infrastructure.