Daily expressway EV charging up 51.42% over China's National Day holiday, NEA data show
In short
Electric vehicles charged 163 million kWh at China's expressway chargers from October 1 to 7, a daily average of 23.2566 million kWh, up 51.42% year on year, according to National Energy Administration data. The figures cover 62,700 expressway charging points on the national charging facility monitoring platform, which recorded 6.711 million charging sessions over the holiday.
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Electric and other new energy vehicles charged 163 million kWh at China's expressway chargers during the National Day holiday, according to data from the National Energy Administration (NEA). From 00:00 on October 1 to 24:00 on October 7, the vehicles recorded 6.711 million charging sessions, and daily charging averaged 23.2566 million kWh, up 51.42% from a year earlier. The figures come from an analysis of 62,700 expressway charging facilities (charging guns) connected to the national charging facility monitoring service platform. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The NEA said that as the number of new energy vehicles keeps growing and more people travel in them during holidays, it guided local authorities to refine their charging plans in advance, organised stronger monitoring through information platforms and handled emergency dispatch to meet charging demand during the holiday. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
IT Home, citing NEA announcements, reported that expressway charging on the first day of the holiday reached 28.0469 million kWh, up 60.40% from the first day of last year's holiday and a record for a single holiday day. Over the first three days, there were 2.9686 million charging sessions, a daily average of 989,500 and up 48.41% on the same period last year. Charging over those three days totalled 71.6193 million kWh, a daily average of 23.8731 million kWh, up 49.39%. The NEA said expressway service area chargers ran smoothly overall. [ 2 ]
According to earlier NEA figures cited by IT Home, expressway EV charging during the 2025 National Day and Mid-Autumn holiday, which ran from October 1 to 8, totalled 123 million kWh, a daily average of 15.3591 million kWh. The number of monitored charging points rose from 48,400 last year to 62,700. [ 2 ]
IT Home also reported, citing public reports, that by the end of June 2026 expressway service areas had 85,400 charging guns, which it said covered almost all of them apart from some high-cold and high-altitude areas. It said Zhou Rongfeng, director of the highway bureau at the Ministry of Transport, had said at a State Council Information Office briefing that more than 10,000 charging guns are planned for service areas in 2026, at least 25% of them high-power. Ministry of Public Security traffic data cited by IT Home put China's new energy vehicle fleet at 48.97 million at the end of June 2026, or 13.19% of all vehicles. [ 2 ]
The NEA said it will work with other agencies to keep building chargers at expressway service areas so that people can rely on charging services during holiday travel. [ 5 ]
Why it matters
The data indicate fast-rising demand for long-distance electric driving during peak travel periods, which the National Energy Administration said it met through advance planning, monitoring and emergency dispatch. The agency said it will keep expanding charging facilities at expressway service areas.
Key facts
- From 00:00 on October 1 to 24:00 on October 7, new energy vehicles recorded 6.711 million charging sessions at Chinese expressway chargers. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Total charging volume reached 163 million kWh, a daily average of 23.2566 million kWh. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Daily average charging volume rose 51.42% year on year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The statistics cover 62,700 expressway charging facilities (charging guns) on the national charging facility monitoring service platform. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- On the first day of the holiday, expressway charging reached 28.0469 million kWh, up 60.40% from last year's first day and a record for a single holiday day, according to the NEA as cited by IT Home. [ 2 ]
- During the 2025 National Day and Mid-Autumn holiday (October 1 to 8), expressway EV charging totalled 123 million kWh, a daily average of 15.3591 million kWh, across 48,400 monitored charging points. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Expressway EV charging totalled 163 million kWh from October 1 to 7, with 6.711 million charging sessions. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Daily average expressway charging volume was 23.2566 million kWh, up 51.42% year on year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The National Energy Administration guided localities to refine charging plans in advance, strengthen monitoring through information platforms and handle emergency dispatch. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- The first-day record of 28.0469 million kWh and the figures for the first three days of the holiday. Only IT Home reports these figures.
- How the year-on-year comparison accounts for holiday length. IT Home says the 2025 holiday ran from October 1 to 8, while this year's figures cover October 1 to 7; the reported growth compares daily averages.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- October 1: The holiday period covered by the charging statistics begins. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- October 8: CLS reports the National Energy Administration's holiday charging figures. [ 1 ]
- IT Home publishes the figures with first-day and first-three-day details. [ 2 ]
- China News Service carries the release, including the agency's plans for further charger construction. [ 5 ]