Record-Breaking Traffic On The First Day Of National Day And Mid-Autumn Festival! Charging Pile Material Demand Sees Explosive Growth

According to Zhuansu Vision on October 1st, the first day of the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, national highways experienced a peak in travel.According to the prediction of the Road Network Center of the Ministry of Transport,During the 8-day holiday, the average daily traffic on national highways exceeded 62 million vehicles, with about 56.5 million passenger cars daily, accounting for nearly 90% of the total traffic, marking a record high for the proportion of self-driving trips.

According to data from the State Grid's smart vehicle networking platform, a double peak in charging demand occurred on September 30 and October 1. From 10 PM to midnight on September 30, the number of charging vehicles surged, and from 7 AM on October 1, the charging demand continued until 7 PM. The charging volume on the Shenhai, Changshen, and Jinghu Highways, as well as in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui regions, is expected to reach a historical high. In Jiangsu, the number of new energy vehicles for daily travel exceeded 720,000, highlighting the strong momentum of the new energy vehicle travel trend.

Image source: CCTV News

The shortage of charging piles has accelerated the layout.

In response to tidal charging demands, various regions are upgrading infrastructure. State Grid Jiangsu is working on this for the Beijing-Shanghai and Shenhai areas.Deploy 32 mobile charging facilities in 30 key busy service areas, and launch a tiered discount strategy of "charging to 80%-90% gives coupons" to guide vehicles to charge at different times. Conduct special inspections at 5,667 key stations nationwide to eliminate equipment failure risks.

Shandong Zibo highway charging station introduces super fast charging piles, achieving"Fully charged in just over ten minutes," reducing charging time by 80% compared to traditional methods; the Huanglishu Service Area on the Nanjing-Hurong Expressway has added 12 new 120 kW charging piles to the existing 16, increasing the total parking spaces to 28, effectively alleviating the charging pressure during peak travel times; the Cicheng Service Area in Ningbo has built 82 charging spaces, with a maximum daily charging service capacity exceeding 5,000 vehicles, and the deployed supercharging piles have a maximum output power that is 8 times that of ordinary piles, along with emergency energy storage charging vehicles to respond to sudden demand.

The National Energy Administration has proposed.By the end of 2027, there will be over 100,000 high-power charging facilities nationwide, with facilities that have a holiday utilization rate of over 40% prioritized for high-power upgrades, continuously enhancing the travel experience for new energy vehicle owners. Recently, Beijing has put into operation five supercharging stations, three of which are located in highway service areas. The power of each station has increased from 250 kW to 480 kW, supporting "10-minute fast charging" and meeting the charging needs of approximately 2,000 vehicles daily, covering cultural and tourist attractions as well as transport hubs, thereby strengthening the urban charging network.

Major Companies Increase Investment: In-Depth Analysis of Core Plastic Materials for Charging Piles

The popularization of charging piles has driven a surge in demand for specialty plastics. According to statistics from Specialized Plastic Vision, charging piles mainly usePA (Nylon), PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate), TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) and other materials, specific application scenarios include:

Charging plugSockets: Require high dimensional stability, impact resistance, and flame retardancy. For example, halogen-free flame-retardant PA 6 glass fiber reinforced materials achieve UL V-0 grade, meeting international electrical safety standards.

Charging wall box cover: requires weather resistance, UV resistance, and low warpage, such as EnHuaLi.Pocan C1203 mixture, easy to paint and excellent weather resistance.

Structural components: require high flame retardancy, creep resistance, and high toughness, suitable for high-pressure environments, such asPBT materials maintain stable performance at high temperatures.

Charging gun cooling: using DowDOWSIL TC-6040 thermal conductive potting compound for quick cooling, and SiLASTIC™ RBB-6300-50 and RBB-2030-40 sealants ensure waterproof performance.

Charging cable: BASFElastollan® TPU 1180A10WDM makes cables flexible and weather-resistant, compliant with charging standards, and easy to operate.

Shell material: launched by companies such as CovestroPC copolymers are applied in residential energy storage, charging station covers, and wall-mounted boxes. Polycarbonate has significant potential for applications in the charging field, and companies like Huili, Gulai'er, and Mitsubishi Chemical are focusing on the PC endurance board sector.

Source: Sina Finance

Global plastic giants have deeply engaged in the supply chain of charging pile materials. Dow provides thermally conductive potting compounds to enhance the heat dissipation efficiency of charging guns; BASFTPU material optimizes cable flexibility; Enpla's Pocan series meets the weather resistance requirements for wall box covers; Daomei Chemical, SABIC, and others provide customized plasticizing materials that comply with international electrical/automotive standards.

Covestro based onNew PC copolymer products enhance performance with a focus on applications in residential energy storage systems, charging station shelters, and wall-mounted box enclosures. Domestic companies such as Huili and Gulair have invested significantly in the PC endurance board sector, while international companies like Mitsubishi Chemical are also accelerating their deployment. These materials boast superior performance, meeting the stringent requirements for flame retardancy, weather resistance, thermal conductivity, and lightweight properties in charging infrastructure.

Looking ahead, there is still a significant gap in the demand for charging stations.

With the large-scale development of new energy vehicles, the demand for charging pile materials will experience explosive growth.The "14th Five-Year Plan" clearly states that by 2025, the charging infrastructure will fully support the development of new energy vehicles, and is expected to drive the annual demand for specialty plastics to grow by more than 30%.

The future development of materials shows three major trends: first, the continuous improvement of flame retardant, weather resistance, and thermal conductivity to meet the demands of high-power charging; second, the growing demand for lightweight and high-strength materials to reduce equipment weight while enhancing durability; third, the accelerated application of recyclable materials in response to environmental protection policy requirements. Industry experts predict that by...By the end of 2027, the number of high-power charging facilities nationwide will exceed 100,000, which will promote the deep application of special plastics in the charging field.

This holiday served as a touchstone for electric vehicle travel, both validating the charging network's capacity and exposing the urgent need for material upgrades. From the current layout, the materials for charging piles have transitioned from"From 'usable' to 'easy to use,' with the future iterations of technology and the refinement of standards, specialty plastics will play a more critical role in the new infrastructure, driving the high-quality development of the new energy vehicle industry."