China’s new energy commercial vehicle (NECV) market saw explosive growth in the first quarter of 2025, with domestic sales surging nearly 50% year-on-year, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
Source: Yicai Global
China’s new energy commercial vehicle (NECV) market saw explosive growth in the first quarter of 2025, with domestic sales surging nearly 50% year-on-year, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). In March, commercial vehicle production and sales reached 431,000 and 447,000 units respectively, up 35.8% and 42.8% from the previous month. For the first quarter overall, production totaled 1.048 million units, marking a 5.1% year-on-year increase, while sales rose 1.8% to 1.051 million units.
NECVs were a standout segment. Domestic NECV sales hit 149,000 units in Q1, a 48.6% increase from a year earlier, raising the penetration rate to 18.4% of total domestic commercial vehicle sales. Exports also soared, with 23,000 NECVs shipped overseas—a 230% year-on-year jump—highlighting China's growing presence in the global market.
Battery-swapping heavy trucks are increasingly replacing diesel vehicles in use cases like ports and mining operations. New energy buses are also gaining traction, as supportive policies for public sector electrification begin to take effect.
Yet, the sector still faces infrastructure challenges—chief among them, the question of whether charging or battery swapping will become the dominant energy replenishment model. To tackle this, GAC Hino and GAC Energy have formed a strategic partnership aimed at building a national NECV energy network. Their joint goal: deploy 10,000 charging or battery-swap stations by 2030.
The collaboration will span vehicle sales, customer service, and site construction, with a focus on creating a fully integrated “vehicle–station–grid–user” ecosystem. In the light truck segment, GAC Energy will open its current charging infrastructure to GAC Hino users, and most mainstream commercial models will be compatible with the equipment. Under the “10,000 by 2030” initiative, both passenger and commercial vehicles are covered, with plans to add 1,000 new commercial charging stations by 2025.
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