CPCA reported 6.711 million electric-vehicle charging sessions on Chinese highways during the seven-day holiday from 1 to 7 October 2026. Its page also reports 163 million kWh delivered, with average daily charging volume up 51.42% year on year.
That is a big number because it describes real motorway use over one concentrated travel week. But CPCA reports Chinese highway activity only: it does not say anything about charging access, charging prices or a BYD Han in Portugal.
For my own Han, the useful charging question remains much smaller and much more local. It is whether the next stop can deliver the speed the car actually takes, not how many sessions happened on another continent.
How many EV charging sessions did China record during the holiday?
CPCA reported 6.711 million new-energy-vehicle charging sessions on Chinese highways between 00:00 on 1 October and 24:00 on 7 October 2026. CPCA says the figures were announced by the National Energy Administration on 8 October.
That is not a sales figure, a forecast or an announced infrastructure target. It is a reported count of charging sessions during a defined seven-day motorway travel period.
CPCA’s page gives the following figures:
| CPCA-reported measure | Figure | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Highway EV charging sessions | 6.711 million | Chinese highways, 1–7 October 2026 |
| Charging electricity delivered | 163 million kWh | Chinese highways, 1–7 October 2026 |
| Average daily charging electricity | 23.2566 million kWh | Chinese highways, seven-day holiday period |
| Year-on-year change in average daily charging electricity | 51.42% | Compared with the equivalent holiday-period daily average, according to CPCA |
The important condition is the one beside every number: Chinese highways, during a holiday week. Without that, “6.711 million charges” is just a large number looking for a story.
What does CPCA’s holiday charging total show?
CPCA’s reported total shows that charging on Chinese highways was heavily used during the 1–7 October holiday period. More than six million charging sessions and 163 million kWh over seven days is not background traffic.
Still, this is not proof that every charging stop was easy, fast or cheap. CPCA’s publication gives session counts, electricity delivered and the year-on-year change in daily charging volume. It does not report waiting times, charger reliability, charging prices, queue lengths or the charging curve of any particular car.
That distinction matters. A large national charging total can tell us that people are travelling and charging. It cannot tell an owner how long the next motorway stop will take.
Does China’s holiday charging data affect a BYD Han in Portugal?
No direct conclusion about charging access or charging cost for a BYD Han in Portugal comes from CPCA’s report. CPCA reports activity on Chinese highways during one October holiday period, and its publication does not discuss Portugal, European charging networks, local tariffs or imported Chinese-market cars.
My own Han usually sees around 50 kW on fast charging in 90% of cases, and reaching half charge takes around 40 minutes. That is the number that changes a motorway day for me, because it is the number sitting beside the car at the charger.
The other half of that calculation is how far the car gets before it needs the stop. I wrote separately about the Han’s real motorway range, because range and charging speed only make sense together.
A nationwide charging total from China does not change either of those things. It does not make a Portuguese charger faster, and it does not tell me what it will cost when I plug in.
Why does a Chinese highway charging total still matter?
CPCA’s holiday data matters because it records charging demand under a difficult condition: many people travelling over a short period, on highways, during the same seven days. That is closer to the pressure point of EV travel than a quiet weekday local charge.
There is a useful warning in that as well. EV infrastructure is not just about how many plugs exist on a map. It is about what happens when everyone needs them at roughly the same time.
CPCA reports a 51.42% year-on-year increase in average daily charging electricity during this holiday period. That does not tell us why the increase happened, and CPCA’s short publication does not try to explain it. But it does show why motorway charging is becoming a system question rather than a feature-list question.
What can a Han owner take from these numbers?
A BYD Han owner can take one practical point from CPCA’s figures: holiday motorway charging needs planning even when the national network is handling enormous volume. CPCA’s reported numbers describe scale, not a guarantee that an individual charging stop will be simple.
For long trips, I still look at the boring things first: expected range at motorway speed, where the next charge is, and how long the car is likely to sit there. The China figure is interesting because it shows the scale of the problem being managed there.
And uh, that is really all it can tell me.
6.711 million sessions in China do not answer whether the charger ahead of me is free. 🙂
FAQ
How many EV charging sessions did China record during the October holiday?
CPCA reported 6.711 million new-energy-vehicle charging sessions on Chinese highways from 1 October through 7 October 2026.
How much electricity did those charging sessions use?
CPCA reported 163 million kWh of charging electricity delivered on Chinese highways during the seven-day holiday period.
Did EV highway charging increase compared with last year?
According to CPCA, average daily charging electricity during the holiday period was up 51.42% year on year.
Who provided the underlying charging figures?
CPCA says the National Energy Administration announced the data on 8 October. CPCA’s page identifies its own source as original reporting from YiChe.
Does this report say anything about charging prices in Portugal?
No. CPCA’s publication reports Chinese highway charging sessions and electricity volume; it does not discuss Portuguese charging prices or access.
Does CPCA’s report give charging speeds for the BYD Han?
No. CPCA gives aggregate highway charging figures only. It does not provide charging curves, waiting times or model-specific charging performance.
Source
This post comments on one primary publication from the Passenger Car Market Information Joint Association, usually called CPCA: China’s seven-day holiday recorded 6.711 million highway new-energy-vehicle charging sessions. CPCA published the page on 9 October 2026, identifies the source as original reporting from YiChe, and says the National Energy Administration announced the underlying data on 8 October.
The source page is in Chinese. The English title and every translation of CPCA’s reported figures and wording in this post are my own translation. The figures remain CPCA’s account, not mine.
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