Hong Kong EV Penetration Exceeds 23%, Charging Infrastructure Race Heats Up

By the end of January 2026, the number of registered electric private cars in Hong Kong surpassed 148,000, accounting for 23.32% of all private cars. In 2025, EVs made up 73% of newly registered private cars — that is, three out of every four new cars sold were electric.

The government has set a clear target: stop new registrations of fuel and hybrid private cars by 2035. To cope with the surge in EVs, Hong Kong aims to build about 200,000 charging parking spaces by mid‑2027.

However, as of February 2026, the territory had only about 16,900 charging points, creating a car-to-charger ratio close to 9:1. Public fast chargers (above 50kW) are particularly scarce, leading to long queues and frustrating waiting times for drivers without dedicated parking spaces.

The government faces two major hurdles. First, the distribution of charging spaces between private and public domains is uneven. Many older residential buildings struggle with electrical capacity limits and complicated approval procedures. Second, the business case for public charging stations remains marginal, with high investment costs and low utilisation outside peak hours.

To break the deadlock, three actions are essential: accelerate deployment of public fast chargers, unify real‑time information and payment platforms across operators, and further subsidise private charging installation in residential buildings.

Hong Kong’s EV transition has moved beyond the early adoption phase. With just nine years left until the 2035 ban on new fossil fuel cars, the charging infrastructure gap must be closed—and quickly. The countdown has already begun.