Are There Charging Piles for New Energy Vehicles at Highway Service Areas?
2 Answers
Only some highway service areas have charging piles, while others do not. Therefore, it is advisable to plan your route in advance before traveling. Function of Charging Piles: Charging piles function similarly to fuel dispensers at gas stations. They can be fixed on the ground or walls and installed in public buildings (such as public buildings, shopping malls, public parking lots, etc.) and residential community parking lots or charging stations. They can charge various types of electric vehicles according to different voltage levels. Charging Methods of Charging Piles: The input end of a charging pile is directly connected to the AC grid, and the output end is equipped with a charging plug for charging electric vehicles. Charging piles generally provide two charging methods: regular charging and fast charging. Users can swipe a specific charging card on the human-machine interaction interface provided by the charging pile to perform operations such as selecting the charging method, setting the charging time, and printing cost data. The display screen of the charging pile can show data such as charging amount, cost, and charging time.
I've been driving electric vehicles on highways more often lately, and there are indeed many charging stations in service areas. The country has been vigorously promoting new energy vehicle infrastructure in the past two years. On major highways like Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressways, service areas are basically equipped with fast-charging piles, along with some slow-charging ones. I remember last month during a long-distance trip, I encountered charging points at service areas roughly every 100 kilometers, using State Grid charging piles that can be activated by scanning QR codes, which was quite convenient. However, be mindful of peak-hour queues, especially during holidays or around 3-4 PM when you might wait over ten minutes. Normally, I use mobile apps like NIO Power or TELD to check real-time charging pile availability to avoid unnecessary trips. If you're driving other types of new energy vehicles, such as plug-in hybrids, it's also essential to confirm in advance that the service area's charging piles are compatible with your vehicle's interface to avoid connection issues. Overall, charging pile coverage is quite extensive, but remote mountainous areas or newly opened highway service areas might not be fully covered yet, so it's advisable to plan your charging stops before the trip.
