EAX Insights | Monthly Review of the New Energy Charging and Battery Swapping Industry (April 2026)

2026-05-26

Cambodian Government Sharply Cuts Import Tariffs on Solar Equipment and Electric Vehicles

On April 1, the Cambodian government made major adjustments to import and export tariffs, with key benefits for electrical equipment, solar systems, and new energy vehicles and related sectors. Import duties on nine categories of goods, including charging equipment, rice cookers, and solar lamps, were reduced from 7% to 0%; duties on 179 categories, including new energy vehicle motors, solar power generation systems, and lithium batteries, were reduced from 15% to 0%. Power banks, electric kettles, hybrid and fully electric passenger and commercial vehicles, and other products are now subject to zero tariffs. Import duties on plug-in hybrid passenger cars (92 categories) were cut from 35% to 7%, while duties on 12 categories including electric stoves, toasters, and fully electric passenger cars were reduced from 35% to 0%. The export duty on bauxite was lowered from 25% to 10%. The new tariff rates took effect on April 1. Amid oil-price volatility and inflationary pressure caused by the Iran war, the tax cuts are intended to address the energy crisis and encourage the use of environmentally friendly alternative energy sources。

Chinese and Australian Prime Ministers Hold Phone Call: Deepening Cooperation in Clean Energy, New Energy Vehicles, Energy Storage, Carbon Reduction and Other Fields

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a phone call with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Li said that amid a complex and changing international environment, China and Australia should maintain the correct direction and consolidate the momentum of cooperation. China is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with Australia, strengthen communication and mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade. Li noted that China-Australia economic and trade cooperation has enormous potential. China will continue to expand domestic demand, boost consumption, open its large market, import more high-quality Australian products, expand and improve bilateral trade, and accelerate the review and upgrading of the free trade agreement. The two sides can deepen cooperation in green sectors such as clean energy, new energy vehicles, energy storage, and carbon reduction.Albanese said Australia is committed to developing a stable and mature relationship with China, adheres to the one-China policy, and is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with China, expand cooperation in trade, investment, mining, clean energy, people-to-people exchanges and other areas, and properly manage differences. He looks forward to traveling to China for the 2026 APEC meeting and is willing to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to jointly address global challenges.

European Commission Unveils “Accelerate EU” Plan to Address the Energy Crisis

On April 23, Cailian Press reported that the European Commission unveiled a package of measures on April 22 called “Accelerate EU,” setting out a series of responses to the energy crisis caused by the continuing impact of conflict in the Middle East on Europe’s energy markets. The announcement stated that since the latest escalation of tensions in the Middle East, the EU has spent an additional EUR 24 billion on fossil fuels, equivalent to about 7% of its EUR 340 billion in total fossil-fuel imports last year. Under the plan, the European Commission will ensure that measures at member-state level are fully coordinated, including replenishing natural gas reserves, applying gas-storage rules flexibly, and coordinating releases of oil stocks when necessary. EU leaders will discuss these energy-security and fiscal-response measures at an informal summit in Cyprus on April 23–24.

Shandong: Shandong Provincial Energy Administration Issues the 2026 Action Plan for High-Level New Energy Consumption
On April 1, the Shandong Provincial Energy Administration issued the Shandong Province 2026 Action Plan for High-Level New Energy Consumption. The plan states that the province will accelerate the construction of demonstration charging and battery-swapping stations. It will fully leverage EV energy-storage resources for grid peak regulation, actively promote the vehicle-grid interactive charging and battery-swapping demonstration station model in the Jinan Start-up Area, expand the scale of bidirectional charging and discharging (V2G) projects, enrich application scenarios, promote integrated development of vehicles, chargers, stations, and the grid, and renovate or build 80 demonstration charging and battery-swapping stations of various types during the year.

Shaanxi: Xi’an Releases the Blue Book on the Layout Plan for Energy Storage Power Stations, Integrated Energy Service Stations and High-Power Charging Facilities (2026–2030)
On April 2, the Xi’an Municipal People’s Government stated that during the planning period, the city, including Xixian New Area, will focus on the construction of three types of energy facilities: energy storage power stations: 21 independent grid-side energy storage power stations and more than 25 user-side stations will be built, with total installed capacity reaching 1,000 MW to support grid peak regulation and new energy consumption; for integrated energy service stations, 50 existing fuel/gas stations will be upgraded and 19 new stations will be built, for a total of 69 stations, creating a multi-energy complementary service network; for high-power charging facilities, 126 high-power charging stations will be completed, including 19 megawatt-class stations, creating a service radius of no more than 2 km in the main urban area and full coverage in outlying suburbs. The plan also sets guidelines for site selection, layout, safety distances and other requirements, while simplifying approval procedures. It aims to build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy infrastructure system that supports the “dual-carbon” goals and high-quality urban development.

Yunnan: Notice of the Yunnan Provincial Energy Administration on Issuing the Action Plan to Double the Service Capacity of Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities in Yunnan Province
On April 17, the Yunnan Provincial Energy Administration issued the Action Plan to Double the Service Capacity of Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities in Yunnan Province. The plan states that by optimizing the layout of charging facilities, improving service efficiency, strengthening resource support, and reshaping the industrial ecosystem, the province will promote the construction of a high-quality charging infrastructure system and encourage broader purchase and use of electric vehicles. By the end of 2027, Yunnan will have built a cumulative total of 250,000 charging connectors, with public charging capacity exceeding 5 million kW, serving the charging needs of more than 1.2 million electric vehicles. The plan aims to improve the “quality” of public charging facilities, increase the “quantity” of private charging facilities, and double overall charging service capacity.

IEA Releases Global Energy Review 2026

On April 20, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its latest flagship report, Global Energy Review 2026. The report notes that in 2025, all major energy fuels and technologies worldwide recorded growth, although at markedly different rates. As economic and energy-intensive industrial growth slowed in some regions, cooling demand declined, and energy-efficiency improvements accelerated, overall global energy-demand growth slowed to 1.3%, slightly below the average of the past decade. However, global renewable energy capacity additions reached a record high of 800 GW in 2025, with solar accounting for about 75%. Battery storage became the fastest-growing power technology: new capacity additions rose by about 40% in 2025 to nearly 110 GW, exceeding the highest annual increase ever recorded for natural gas-fired generation. In addition, more than 12 GW of nuclear power capacity began construction worldwide in 2025.
For electric vehicles, global EV sales increased by more than 20% year on year in 2025, reaching 21 million units, with one in four cars sold being electric. This was consistent with the IEA’s forecast for the annual sales share in its Global EV Outlook 2025.
Intense domestic competition, attractive pricing, and a growing variety of models accelerated EV adoption in China. In 2025, electric vehicles accounted for more than half of annual vehicle sales in China for the first time. Sales of electric heavy-duty freight trucks also tripled in 2025 to more than 200,000 units. Nearly all growth in China’s EV sales came from battery electric vehicles, while plug-in hybrid growth was comparatively modest at 4%.

▲Source: International Energy Agency (IEA)

National Energy Administration: Releases National EV Charging Infrastructure Data for March 2026

4/27, the National Energy Administration released 2026-3 national EV charging infrastructure data.According to data from the National Charging Facility Monitoring Service Platform, as of 2026-3 month-end, China’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure (connectors) total reached 2148.1 ten thousand units, up 46.9%. Among them，public charging facilities (connectors) 486.3 ten thousand units, up 28.1%, while the total rated power of public charging piles reached 2.34 hundred million kW, with an average power of approximately 48.06 kW; private charging facilities (connectors) 1661.8 ten thousand units, up 53.5%, while the registered electricity-use capacity of private charging facilities reached 1.47 hundred million kVA.

▲Source: National Energy Administration

EVPICA: China’s Charging and Battery-Swapping Infrastructure Up 46.9% Year on Year in March 2026

Operation of Public Charging Infrastructure:According to data from the China Charging Alliance, as of the end of March 2026, China’s total number of EV charging infrastructure connectors reached 21.481 million, up 46.9% year on year.Among them, public charging facilities totaled 4.863 million connectors, up 28.1% year on year, the total rated power of public charging facilities reached 234 million kW, with an average power of approximately 48.06 kW; private charging facilities totaled 16.618 million connectors, up 53.5% year on year, with registered electricity-use capacity reaching 147 million kVA.

Overall Operation of Charging Infrastructure:From January to March 2026, the increase in charging infrastructure was 1.389 million units, up 49.1% year on year. Among them, public charging facilities increased by 146,000 units, down 54.5% year on year, while private charging facilities increased by 1.243 million units, up 103.5% year on year. As of the end of March 2026, the total number of EV charging infrastructure connectors in China reached 21.481 million, up 46.9% year on year.

Overall Operation of Battery-Swapping Stations:From April 2025 to March 2026, the number of battery-swapping stations increased by 1,230. As of the end of March 2026, the total number of EV battery-swapping stations in China reached 5,988.

▲Source: China Charging and Battery-Swapping Alliance

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