Gasgoo Munich- As electric vehicles expand from city commuting to long-distance travel, the pace and quality of charging network construction have become critical to the industry's growth.
Image source: TELD
Data from the EVCIPA shows that by the end of May 2026, the total number of charging connectors in China reached 22.497 million — a 44.9% year-on-year increase.
Behind these figures lies an explosive growth in private chargers and a deep optimization of public networks. As "range anxiety" gives way to discussions on "charging convenience," we may be witnessing a critical inflection point: the EV energy replenishment system is shifting from quantitative expansion to qualitative, refined operations.
Private Chargers Surge, Reshaping Home Charging Scenarios
The most striking aspect of the latest data is the rapid rise of private charging facilities.
By the end of May, the stock of private charging connectors hit 17.546 million, accounting for 78% of the total and surging 51.4% year-on-year. Growth has remained above 50% since the start of the year. This pace far outstrips the 25.9% growth seen in public facilities, making home charging the preferred method for the vast majority of EV users.
The trend is even clearer from the perspective of new additions. From January to May 2026, total charging infrastructure increased by 2.405 million units, up 51.9% year-on-year. Of this, private facilities contributed 2.171 million units — a 101.2% surge that effectively doubled. That means an average of roughly 14,300 new private chargers were installed daily over the first five months.
For owners with dedicated parking spots, installing a private charger offers lower electricity rates and a seamless "plug-and-charge" experience that ensures a full battery by morning. As requirements for charging equipment in new residential complexes are enforced and retrofits for older communities advance, installation barriers are crumbling. The installed power capacity for these connections has reached 151 million kilovolt-amperes, signaling a synchronized upgrade in household grid capacity.
However, the relative slowdown in public charger growth does not signal a decline in importance.
Between January and May 2026, public charging facilities grew by just 234,000 units, a 53.5% drop from the previous year. This shift does not reflect shrinking demand, but rather a strategic pivot from "casting a wide net" to "precise placement." Currently, the layout of public facilities is being strengthened in high-demand scenarios.
Data shows charging power is concentrated in major economic and transportation hubs like Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Hebei. The flow is dominated by buses and passenger vehicles, with sanitation, logistics, and taxi vehicles accounting for a smaller share — confirming the clear positioning of the public network's core users.
This complementary pattern — "private chargers for daily use, public chargers for emergencies" — is making the entire replenishment system more rational and efficient.
Higher Power and Regional Coordination: Public Charging Enters a Refined Phase
If the keyword for private chargers is "penetration," then the core mandate for public networks is "experience."
By the end of May, the total rated power of public charging facilities reached 242 million kilowatts. With 4.951 million public connectors serving this capacity, the average power per connector stands at approximately 48.89 kilowatts. This indicates that the overall power level of public facilities has moved into the medium-to-high range, with high-power fast charging becoming a standard configuration.
From 600-kilowatt liquid-cooled ultra-fast guns — such as the "80 kWh in 8 minutes" products launched by leading companies — to "charge-and-go" guidance services at highway rest areas, technological progress and operational optimization are unfolding in tandem.
During the recent May Day holiday, highway EV charging volume hit a historic record, with peak daily consumption exceeding 34.5 million kilowatt-hours. Various contingency plans deployed during the holiday rush effectively alleviated the frustration of long queues. This reflects the broader shift of the charging and swapping industry from "construction-driven" to "service-driven" growth.
At the same time, regional coordinated development is on the agenda.
Nationally, the top 10 regions for public charging infrastructure — Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong, Fujian, Henan, Anhui, Sichuan, and Hubei — account for 66.3% of the total, indicating high concentration. In terms of charging volume, the focus remains on Guangdong, Jiangsu, Hebei, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Shandong, Fujian, Henan, and Shaanxi.
The two top-10 lists overlap heavily but differ in ranking, revealing significant disparities in charging utilization rates across regions. Data from the National Energy Administration shows power consumption by the charging and swapping service sector reached 14.9 billion kilowatt-hours in May 2026 — a 59.9% surge. This growth rate far outpaces the average for total social electricity use, serving as a strong testament to the booming EV industry.
To address uneven resource distribution, cross-regional coordination and penetration into lower-tier markets are becoming key industry focus areas.
Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows domestic NEV sales reached 3.97 million units in the first five months of 2026. During the same period, charging infrastructure increased by 2.405 million units, yielding a charger-to-vehicle increment ratio of 1:1.7. This indicates that for every new charging connector added, 1.7 new vehicles hit the road, suggesting construction speeds are largely keeping pace with vehicle growth and maintaining a healthy dynamic balance between supply and demand.
As the charging network ceases to be the "short board" constraining EV development, the focus of industry competition will inevitably return to products, technology, and service. Shifting from "is it enough?" to "is it good enough?", China's EV industry is writing a new chapter.
