Improve charging facilities along highways to facilitate people’s travel

In recent years, China’s electric vehicle industry has developed rapidly and has a broad prospect. But during major holidays, it is still common for electric vehicles to queue up at expressway service areas for charging. During the two sessions in 2022, the Ministry of Transport received the Proposal on Improving the Construction of Charging Piles in Expressway Service Areas submitted by Wang Yan, a deputy to the National People’s Congress. In view of the outstanding problems such as insufficient charging piles and poor coverage on expressways, Wang Yan suggested speeding up the improvement of charging infrastructure along highways to better meet the growing demand of the public for charging electric vehicles.

The Ministry of Transport considered Wang Yan’s proposal as a key proposal. The Highway Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Transport took the lead in formulating the work plan, exchanged opinions with the National Energy Administration and other agencies, and communicated with Wang Yan by telephone for many times to actively report work and listen to opinions and suggestions.

From July 21 to 22, 2022, officials of the Highway Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, together with the responsible persons from the National Energy Administration, State Grid Corporation, the General Office of the Ministry of Transport and other relevant departments, investigated the construction and operation of charging facilities in expressway service areas in Shandong Province, and held a symposium for exchanges. Wang Yan attended the symposium online, and the transportation authorities of Tianjin, Hebei, Jiangsu, Shandong and Henan provinces reported relevant work on the spot. Wang Yan expressed great satisfaction with the Ministry of Transport’s practice of listening carefully to opinions and pragmatically developing measures.

In view of suggestions put forward by Wang Yan, in early August 2022, the Ministry of Transport, together with the National Energy Administration, State Grid Corporation and China Southern Power Grid Company Limited, formulated and issued the “Action Plan for Accelerating the Construction of Charging Infrastructure along Highways” (“the Action Plan”) after thorough research and comprehensive consideration of various opinions. Focusing on expressway service areas and qualified national and provincial trunk highway service areas, the Action Plan proposes to accelerate the construction of charging infrastructure along highways based on the principle of “pile stations first, supply-driven demand, adaptation to local conditions, classified promotion, wide coverage, moderate advancement, universality, openness, intelligence, and efficiency”.

According to the Action Plan, the basic charging services will be available in expressway service areas in areas other than extreme cold and high-altitude areas by the end of 2022. Qualified national and provincial trunk highway service areas (stations) can provide basic charging services by the end of 2023. By the end of 2025, the charging infrastructure of expressway service areas and ordinary national and provincial trunk highway service areas (stations) will be further increased and optimized, and effectively cover rural roads, basically forming a charging infrastructure network along highways with “fixed facilities as the main body, mobile facilities as supplements, full coverage of important nodes, good operation and maintenance services, and guarantee the people’s travel”.

Next, the Highway Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, together with relevant units, will guide all provinces and cities to actively and orderly promote the construction of charging infrastructure along highways in light of the actual situation, so as to ensure that all tasks are completed on schedule and with high quality, better meet the needs of the public for high-quality and diversified travel services, and promote the sound development of the electric vehicle industry.