Upgraded intelligent charging facilities, especially mobile charging equipment, at highway service areas across China have ensured a smooth travel experience for new energy vehicle (NEV) owners during the Spring Festival travel rush which lasts from Feb 2 to March 13 this year.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb 17 this year. For decades, going home and spending time with family has been the festival's defining theme, fueling a 40-day travel rush that sees hundreds of millions of out-of-town workers hitting roads, railways and runways. Authorities expect a record 9.5 billion inter-regional trips this year.
During this year's Spring Festival travel rush, the daily average traffic volume of NEVs on the national expressway network is expected to reach 9.5 million units, according to data from the Ministry of Transport.
At Pinghu Service Area along the expressway linking Hangzhou and Shanghai, the use of a wheeled charging platform has significantly improved charging efficiency during the travel rush.
"In the past, my biggest worry was the long queues at charging stations during the Spring Festival travel rush, which sometimes took one to two hours. But today, as soon as I parked my car, I simply scanned the code, and a staff member remotely controlled a charging robot to come over. I just plugged in the cable and charged, as convenient as ordering takeout," said a passenger car driver.
The seamless service was supported by the smart charging management platform jointly developed by local transportation, emergency response, and power supply departments, which can monitor the operating status of charging piles, predict peak hours, and dynamically dispatch mobile charging equipment
Since the introduction of mobile charging facilities, the number of vehicle charging daily at Pinghu Service Area has increased from over 180 to over 220, and is expected to exceed 400 per day during the Spring Festival travel season.
Similar equipment was also applied in Xiamen's highway service areas and around popular tourist attractions, with each unit serving as a small mobile charging station equipped with a large-capacity battery and a fast-charging interface.
"Now we can see the status of charging stations on this application. For example, if there is heavy traffic or a sudden surge in electricity demand in a service area, we can dispatch the nearest mobile charging vehicle to provide support as soon as possible, and it can arrive at the designated location in as little as half an hour," said service area staff member Chen Jiapeng.
Intelligent chargers ease Spring Festival rush for NEV owners
