//evt/charging
Editorial
How 2026 changed EV charging: the buildout in numbers
1.22 million holiday sessions, 1.19 million swaps, 180 new IONNA sites, and white-label chargers at Costco — the year charging infrastructure became the story.
The holiday stress test: 1.22 million sessions
BYD’s Megawatt Flash-Charging network handled 1.22 million sessions for 540,000 users during China’s October 1–7 holiday, peaking at 188,344 vehicles in a single day across 12,165 stations in 341 cities. NIO’s answer: more than 2 million charging and swapping services, including 1.19 million battery swaps — up 22% year-on-year.
IONNA doubles down
The automaker-backed IONNA network more than doubled in 2026, passing 180 live sites and 1,500 DC fast-charging stalls — all up to 400 kW, with the industry’s highest NACS deployment share among non-Tesla networks (36%). The 30,000-bay 2030 target stopped looking theoretical.
Charging goes white-label
Electrify America’s “Powered by” program passed 100 stations and nearly 600 chargers, with retailers like Costco and Wawa running their own branded networks on EA hardware and operations — up to 350 kW, NACS-ready. The year’s lesson: charging is no longer just infrastructure. It’s a product, a brand, and a retail strategy.
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How this story was filed
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