BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China has built charging piles in over 5,800 expressway service areas, covering 97 percent of the country's total, said the Ministry of Transport on Friday.
As of the end of November, China has installed 33,000 charging piles in expressway service areas, marking an increase of 12,000 from the end of 2023, said Vice Minister Li Yang during a press conference.
Li said new energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for 15.9 percent of the expressway traffic flow during this year's National Day holiday, which ran from Oct. 1 to 7.
"The figure revealed that adoption of electric vehicles in China has accelerated," Li said. He expects more electric cars to hit the road during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.
Industrial data showed that China sold more than 1.5 million NEVs last month, accounting for 45.6 percent of total car sales. This figure highlights that nearly one in two vehicles sold in China is now powered by non-fossil fuels.
With wider adoption of NEVs, drivers are increasingly facing challenges in finding charging facilities. Li said that the ministry is working on the problem and making plans for the upcoming Spring Festival traffic rush.
The ministry will make preparations based on traffic predictions and increase the number of both fixed and mobile charging facilities, according to Li.
Information services will also see further improvements. Li said that the layout and availability of charging facilities will be presented on platforms such as information boards, navigation apps and government-developed mini programs.
For 2025, China will continue to increase investment and improve the charging infrastructure network along the expressway to ensure that NEV drivers can have convenient trips, Li said. ■
