How to promote the construction of charging infrastructure to meet the demands of electric vehicle (EV) development? Norway, a pioneer in EV adoption with the world’s highest charging point coverage—including deployments even within the Arctic Circle—offers valuable experience worthy of observation and study.

Public charging points demonstrate stronger profitability  

Between 2008 and 2011, Norway took four years to sell its first 10,000 EVs. By 2022, however, the same volume was achieved in approximately four weeks. As the total cost of EV ownership reached parity with internal combustion engine vehicles, EV sales surged dramatically, which in turn fueled a sharp rise in demand for charging infrastructure. This created first-mover advantages for enterprises that entered the charging infrastructure market early.

Public charging points in Norway command price premiums, enabling them to sustain high profit margins. McKinsey research shows that the cost of using on-the-go chargers—those deployed along highways and near fueling stations—is three to four times higher than the cost of home charging. According to McKinsey’s Global Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Model, by 2030, public charging solutions such as on-the-go and destination charging (e.g., at shopping malls, cinemas, and restaurants) are projected to account for approximately three-quarters of Norway's EV charging profit pool, despite representing only around 40% of total electricity demand. In contrast, home charging will require a quarter of total electricity supply but contribute merely one-tenth to the profit pool.

Optimizing Charger Deployment and Operational Capabilities  

The extensive market potential of charging infrastructure has attracted a wide array of participants—including conventional fuel retailers, automakers, public utilities, and independent energy companies—all actively investing in charging infrastructure development. However, as EV market penetration increases and user demands grow more diverse and complex, competition in the charging sector is intensifying.

A fragmented provider landscape offers users a wide variety of charging options, yet the need to switch between different charging applications often causes inconvenience. Widespread system issues—such as limited direct payment options, poorly designed parking bays, short charging cables, and hardware malfunctions—also contribute to user frustration and may exacerbate charging availability anxiety. In Norway’s latest annual EV charging survey, more than half of respondents reported that fast chargers frequently experience outages.

McKinsey analysis indicates that highly dispersed charging stations, each equipped with only a small number of chargers, can lead to user queuing and prolonged waiting times, further aggravating concerns around charging convenience. Therefore, in high-utilization areas such as highways, building large-scale charging hubs with a substantial number of chargers can strengthen operators' competitiveness.

Designing Tailored Services to Meet User Needs  

Public charging stations serve diverse users on a daily basis—from taxi drivers and long-distance travelers to daily commuters. Each user segment has distinct charging requirements. For example, families on long journeys may prioritize nearby amenities where they can rest or dine, showing less concern for charging speed. In contrast, taxi drivers place greater emphasis on charging speed and cost variations across different charging locations.

McKinsey concludes that defining the appropriate pace and scale of charging infrastructure development is a key insight from Norway’s EV charging evolution. Companies investing in charging infrastructure are advised to adopt a comprehensive strategy, gaining a thorough understanding of all aspects—from profit pool dynamics and target customer segments to investment timing. A clear product roadmap should be developed for each target segment, featuring a well-articulated value proposition, strategic pricing, and an integrated user journey.

However, in recent years, our dominant position in global production has not only been limited to toys, textiles, and even laptops and smart phones, but has been moving towards automobiles, which are the crown jewel of the industrial sector.

According to authoritative media reports, over the past decade, China's annual production and sales of new energy vehicles have increased from the thousand level to the tens of millions level. The products have been exported to 70+ countries and regions，accounting for over 60% of the world's share，making it a "glorious card" of Chinese manufacturing.

From July 2025 to the end of July，according to the car export data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers，China's car exports continued to grow at a high rate. Among them，new energy vehicles became the core driving force. Below is the 2025-2025 July production and export ranking list of top 20 manufacturers compiled by Yiche. Next, we will conduct a detailed analysis based on this list.

Chery holds the first place，but BYD is coming at a fierce pace.

In 2024，Chery became the top domestic exporter. Relevant data shows that in 2024， Chery exported 11，445，880 vehicles，an increase of 21.4% year-on-year， and ranked first in China's brand passenger car exports for 22 consecutive years. It's quite impressive that being able to export one million vehicles per year is a result that many domestic car manufacturers envy.

This year，from July to the end of July,Chery's export momentum remained strong. At a glance，its export volume in the first seven months was 662，903 units，achieving a 6.9% growth year-on-year. If there are no unexpected circumstances，Chery's export volume is expected to exceed 1.2 million units this year，continuing to lead the exports of domestic car brands.

The second place is BYD. It's undeniable that BYD's volume is truly huge. Because its export volume in the first seven months reached an astonishing 5，214，620 units， an increase of 123.4% year-on-year，equivalent to doubling and more.

In the first quarter of 2025，BYD became the top brand in sales in Hong Kong and Singapore； in Brazil，Italy，Thailand，and Australia，BYD was the leader in new energy vehicle sales in the first quarter；in the UK，BYD's sales in the first quarter showed the highest growth rate both in terms of both month-on-month and year-on-year.

If this trend continues, BYD may truly become the undisputed champion of new energy vehicles globally, further widening the gap with Tesla.

【Conclusion】 The Chinese automotive industry is reshaping the global market pattern at an unprecedented speed. From Chery's steady lead， BYD's rapid rise， to Geely and Great Wall's close pursuit， Chinese car manufacturers not only win by scale，but also gain话语权 through technological innovation and global strategies. The explosive growth of new energy vehicles has become the core engine driving China from a "manufacturing giant" to a "smart manufacturing powerhouse"，and the breakthrough and challenges in the European market have demonstrated the depth and complexity of China's globalization.

The latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in October, the monthly sales of new energy vehicles reached 1.715 million units, an increase of 20% year-on-year. The monthly sales accounted for 51.6% of the total monthly sales of new vehicles, surpassing 50% for the first time. This indicates that in China, the substitution of new energy vehicles for traditional fuel vehicles has entered a new stage.

The share of new energy vehicle sales has exceeded half for the first time, conveying three messages.

Firstly, there has been a continuous supply of new passenger vehicle models and continuous upgrades in product technology. Since this year, domestic passenger vehicle enterprises have accelerated the pace of technological iterations in electrification and intelligence. 800-volt silicon carbide platforms, long-range extended-range/parallel hybrid, end-to-end combination assistance driving from parking to parking, AI large model intelligent cabins... have been implemented on most mainstream models of major car manufacturers. Efficient, low-cost R&D, supply chain and intelligent manufacturing systems have provided strong guarantees for the intensive launch of new models. According to incomplete statistics, within one week from September 15th to 21st this year, 16 new energy passenger vehicles were launched. Under the continuous promotion of new vehicle effects, the sales share of new energy passenger vehicles in China steadily increased to 54.9% in October.

Secondly, the electrification process of commercial vehicles has accelerated.

Data shows that in 2024, the sales share of new energy commercial vehicles will be 14.9%; from January to October this year, this proportion has rapidly increased to 20.7%. The popularity of new energy commercial vehicles is inseparable from the continuous strengthening of policy "punches". Since this year, the scope and intensity of subsidies for the scrapping and renewal of old operating diesel trucks have been further expanded. In addition, the improvement in range due to technological breakthroughs, the popularization of ultra-fast charging technology, and the decline in battery costs have made the operational cost advantages of new energy commercial vehicles more obvious. The continuous construction of charging networks and the gradual improvement of charging and swapping station layouts provide strong support for the development of new energy commercial vehicles.

Thirdly, the monthly sales of new energy vehicles have exceeded those of fuel vehicles for the first time, posing new and higher requirements for the electrification and intelligence transformation of the automotive industry.

In the context of artificial intelligence accelerating the empowerment of the entire automotive industry chain, innovating and exploring the product form, manufacturing process, operation mode, competitive dimension and even development model of the AI automotive era, China's global leading advantages in the transformation of automotive electrification and intelligence can be continuously consolidated. Currently, the automotive industry is full of vitality, while continuously strengthening the market selection and elimination mechanism, effectively curbing "internal competition" and eliminating vicious competition, and breaking the "increased output and income without increased profit" vicious circle, the industry can achieve high-quality development.

Comprehensively improving safety standards is even more urgent. More than half of new vehicles have been electrified, and the penetration rate of combined assistance driving new vehicles exceeds 60%. This has raised the attention of the entire society to the safety of new energy vehicles. Improving the safety standards of motor vehicles, eliminating the breeding ground for potential safety hazards at the source, relevant departments of the state have taken actions. Since this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Transport and other departments have successively organized the formulation of a series of mandatory national standards and draft standards for public consultation (hereinafter referred to as "new standards"), clearly stipulating that each time the combined assistance driving function is activated, the driver must have received relevant training, and real-time monitoring of the driver's hands on the steering wheel and whether the driver's gaze deviates from the road during driving. In response to the safety hazards exposed in traffic accidents, the "new standards" also propose mandatory requirements such as having to be equipped with physical buttons, zero-gravity seats must ensure that the seat belt effectively protects the occupants, hidden door handles need to be equipped with mechanical release functions, the thickness of emergency window glass cannot exceed 5mm, and the zero-to-hundred acceleration must not be lower than 5 seconds. We look forward to seeing more enterprises focusing their innovation efforts on addressing real consumer pain points such as preventing battery overheating, enhancing the safety of integrated assisted driving systems, and completely eliminating range anxiety. They will shift from "competing on acceleration, configuration, and price" to "competing on safety, technology, value, and experience", thus promoting the stable and long-term development of China's new energy vehicle industry.

        The National Development and Reform Commission and other departments have issued the "Three-Year Doubling Action Plan for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Service Capacity (2025–2027)." The notice stipulates the establishment of 28 million charging facilities nationwide.

By the end of 2027, China aims to have built 28 million charging facilities, providing over 300 million kilowatts of public charging capacity to meet the charging demands of more than 80 million electric vehicles, thereby achieving a doubling of charging service capacity.  

In expressway service areas (including parking areas), 40,000 new or upgraded "ultra-fast combined" charging guns with a capacity of 60 kW or higher will be deployed.  

Efforts will be accelerated to upgrade and renovate charging infrastructure in expressway service areas. An intercity charging network will be developed to effectively meet the medium- and long-distance travel needs of electric vehicles, with intensified deployment of charging points and continuous optimization of the functional structure of facilities. By the end of 2027, 40,000 new or upgraded "ultra-fast combined" charging guns with a capacity of 60 kW or higher will be installed in expressway service areas (including parking areas), and the construction of high-power charging facilities will be encouraged. Except for high-altitude and extremely cold regions, all expressway service areas should be equipped with charging capabilities.  

The integration of charging infrastructure requirements into distribution network planning will be prioritized.  

Upgrades to distribution networks will be expedited. Charging infrastructure needs will be incorporated into distribution network planning, with a focus on urban core areas, expressway service areas, transportation hubs, township clusters, and older residential communities. Efforts will target issues such as weak grid structures and inadequate power supply capacity through grid optimization and transformer capacity expansion. The application of smart and orderly charging will be promoted to enhance grid resilience and regulation capabilities under high-penetration charging load scenarios.  

The scale of private charging infrastructure construction will be increased.  

New residential areas must fully equip fixed parking spaces with charging facilities or reserve installation conditions in accordance with regulations, ensuring readiness for direct meter installation and power connection. Existing residential areas should supplement charging facilities based on local conditions, integrating efforts with urban renewal projects, complete community development, and other initiatives to enhance public charging services and the proportion of private parking spaces equipped with charging piles. Supporting power supply and distribution facility upgrades will be carried out concurrently.