EV charging piles following the European International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) charging standard are now available within the entire Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), benefiting drivers from Hong Kong and Macao and promoting regional integration.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging piles in Hong Kong, Macao, and Guangdong follow different standards. Most EVs in Hong Kong and Macao follow the European International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) charging standard, while the Chinese mainland adheres to the national Guobiao/Tuijian (GB/T) standard. Drivers therefore often need to use EV charging converters to charge their cars, which is inconvenient for those who travel between the regions.
Meanwhile, the need for charging piles suitable for IEC standard cars grows as more Hong Kong and Macao residents driving single-plated new energy vehicles (NEVs) pass through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The clearance volume of single-plated NEVs from Hongkong and Macao heading north into the mainland exceeded 200,000 in the first 11 months of 2024, up 50 percent year-on-year.
To meet the growing demand, China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. (CSG), a major state-owned company in China's energy sector, has recently built 100 IEC standard charging piles in major roads and popular shopping areas in the nine mainland cities of GBA, enabling drivers to find IEC standard charging piles within an average 30-minute drive.
"Many Hong Kong and Macao residents travel to the mainland for tourism, shopping, and business. Therefore, the more IEC-standard EV charging stations are built, the more convenient it will be for us," said a resident surnamed Lam from Macao.
"The IEC standard EV charging piles we have built are suitable for the mainstream new energy vehicles in Hong Kong and Macao. We are also optimizing and upgrading the charging facilities based on users' habits to further improve safety of products and create more convenience to users," said Gu Jun, and employee at CSG.
CSG plans to expand the IEC standard EV charging network to eastern, western and northern parts of Guangdong province based on the increase of volume of NEVs heading north from Hong Kong and Macao via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to further promote the connectivity of GBA, according to Gu.
The Greater Bay Area, encompassing Hong Kong, Macao and nine cities in Guangdong including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, is home to around 86 million people.
It serves as a hub for innovation, manufacturing, finance and trade, maintaining dynamic connections to global markets. Last year, the region's total economic output matched that of Canada.