BEIJING, China, Sep 15 — With more than 13.8 million charging stations installed across the country by March 2025, China’s transition to new energy vehicles (NEVs) has been nothing short of exponential.
In Beijing, where motor vehicle ownership reached 7.9 million by the end of 2024, NEVs already account for 642,000 of the city’s 5.5 million private cars, according to the 2024 Economic and Social Development Index cited by China News Service. That represents an increase of 114,000 vehicles in just one year.
Today, the capital’s flyovers and ring roads hum with quieter, sleeker EVs marked by distinctive green licence plates — from locally built taxis to private rides — signalling a decisive break from the country’s fossil-fuel past.
Massive Charging Network
China’s EV rollout is supported by one of the world’s densest charging infrastructures. The China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance estimates an average of one charging pile for every 2.5 electric vehicles nationwide.
By March 2025, NEVs accounted for 51.1 per cent of all newly registered cars across China. By June, the country’s NEV fleet stood at 36.9 million, roughly 10 per cent of its 359 million vehicles overall.
“The proximity of charging stations is so close — sometimes just 5 to 10 kilometres apart,” said a Beijing taxi driver operating an electric car outside the city’s Hongqiao Market, across from the Temple of Heaven.
From the ubiquitous Beijing-make taxis to models by market leader BYD (Build Your Dreams) and U.S. giant Tesla, electric mobility has been embraced at a scale unmatched anywhere in the world. BYD led China’s EV market with a 31.4 per cent share of units sold between January and August 2024, followed by Tesla at 6.5 per cent and local brand Li Auto at 4.7 per cent.
Infrastructure to Match
Beijing’s extensive road network underpins the EV revolution. By the end of 2024 the city had 22,560 kilometres of roads, including 1,276 kilometres of expressways feeding into the capital and 6,296 kilometres of urban roads criss-crossing its core. These multi-lane highways are lined with greenery, blending massive steel and concrete structures with tree cover and linked by concentric ring roads.
The city’s transport ecosystem also includes electric buses, nearly 947,000 shared bicycles for last-mile access (paid for via e-wallets such as Alipay and WeChat for as little as 1.5 yuan for 30 minutes), and an extensive subway. The Beijing rail network now boasts 29 lines covering 879 kilometres, carrying an estimated 3.6 billion passengers annually.
At Beijing Capital International Airport, the Capital Airport Expressway terminates in multiple terminal-specific entry corridors, complemented by an intra-terminal rail and shuttle service to streamline passenger movement.
Cleaner Air and Greener Spaces
With a national carbon-reduction goal of peaking emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, Beijing’s shift to electric mobility is already paying off. In 2024, the city’s PM2.5 pollution level — fine particles harmful to human health — fell 6.2 per cent to 30.5 micrograms per cubic metre, one of its most celebrated milestones toward the “Beijing Blue” vision of clear skies.
Green coverage across the city reached 49.84 per cent, while per-capita park space rose to 16.96 square metres, supported by the rollout of China’s first garden-city plan.
China’s bold electric mobility push — pairing vast infrastructure with policy targets — is transforming how its cities move, powering a greener economy and offering a template for other countries seeking to clean up their transport sectors.
