2026 Spring Festival Travel Rush Puts EV Charging to the Test as 9.5 Billion Trips Drive New Energy Solutions

China's 2026 Spring Festival travel rush will kick off on February 2 and last for 40 days, with nationwide inter-regional passenger movements projected to reach a record-high 9.5 billion trips. With the number of new-energy vehicles (NEVs) surpassing 43.97 million, demand for high-speed charging has surged—last year’s travel rush saw queues exceeding 2.5 hours at some charging stations. To address this challenge, China’s Ministry of Transport has designated charging infrastructure support as a core priority for this year’s travel rush. Measures include deploying additional mobile emergency charging units, upgrading the “e-Lu Changtong” mini-app to provide real-time charger availability updates, and guiding drivers to alternative routes or stations to ease congestion. As of the end of 2025, China’s expressway service areas are equipped with 71,500 charging piles, achieving a vehicle-to-charger ratio of approximately 2:1. Automakers and charging operators are also accelerating their deployments: Li Auto and XPeng are expanding their ultra-fast charging networks, NIO plans to increase its highway battery-swap stations to over 1,000, and CATL is speeding up the rollout of its “ChocoSwap” battery-swapping system. Experts recommend integrating highway charging infrastructure with urban resources in surrounding areas to enhance commercial sustainability and alleviate the mismatch between fixed charging infrastructure and highly variable vehicle flows during holidays.