China's EV charging infrastructure expands rapidly in Jan-June

China's electric vehicle charging infrastructure saw rapid expansion in the first half of 2026, amid the country's continuous efforts to facilitate wider EV adoption through improved supporting network.

The country's total charging facilities reached 23.06 million by the end of June, up 43.2 percent year on year, according to data released Tuesday by the National Energy Administration.

Of the total, public charging facilities exceeded 5 million, an increase of 22.3 percent from a year earlier. Private charging facilities reached 18.05 million, surging 50.4 percent year on year.

Holiday charging demand has been steadily rising, as seen during this year's May Day holiday. Average daily charging volume on highways hit 18.99 million kilowatt-hours, up 14.09 percent from this year's Spring Festival holiday.

At the same time, the charging network in counties and towns has been continuously strengthened, with county-level coverage reaching 98.61 percent by the end of June.

China unveiled a three-year action plan in October 2025 to improve EV charging infrastructure, aiming to build a nationwide network of 28 million charging facilities, with public charging capacity expected to exceed 300 million kilowatts by the end of 2027.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5 to 3.75 percent, as widely expected by the market.

The move marks the Fed's fifth monetary policy meeting in a row with a wait-and-see stance, while expectations for an interest rate hike build up for the coming months.

Nevertheless, three members of the Federal Open Market Committee voted against the decision and preferred to raise the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points.

The year-on-year growth rate of the U.S. headline consumer price index dropped to 3.5 percent in June from 4.2 percent in May as oil prices plunged in the period.

The United States continues to face elevated inflationary pressures in comparison with the Fed's 2 percent inflation target.