China: Charging Robot Boom for Electric Vehicles Has Begun

Electromobility China: Charging Robot Boom for Electric Vehicles Has Begun

2025-08-20 From Henrik Bork | Translated by AI 4 min Reading Time

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BMW is developing an automatic charging robot for electric cars in China. The company recently released a video featuring a robotic arm that autonomously finds the socket of a parked car, then automatically charges the battery, and subsequently unplugs itself to wait for the next customer.

Charging robots for electric vehicles are not new. Volkswagen already presented a charging robot concept in December 2019. Now the topic is gaining momentum in China.(Image: Volkswagen) — Charging robots for electric vehicles are not new. Volkswagen already presented a charging robot concept in December 2019. Now the topic is gaining momentum in China.
(Image: Volkswagen)

The interest of Germans in the technology has been noted attentively within the industry. Although the showcased robotic arm is still in the development phase, a charging robot from BMW confirms for many Chinese that the technology has great potential.

Indeed, this year the era of charging robots has begun in China with full force. Advances in both artificial intelligence and hardware now enable fully autonomous charging robots. Neither human assistance is generally required for the charging process, payment, nor recharging the robots themselves.

Many OEMs Are Working on the Charging Robot Concept

Huawei has demonstrated how its luxury electric car Maextro S800, built in collaboration with JAC, is charged by a charging robot. Li Auto and the company CGXI have formed a partnership to develop a charging robot that moves back and forth on a sled, enabling it to serve multiple parking spaces simultaneously.

Zeekr, like BMW, has released a video showing the integration of parking and recharging the battery with the help of a charging robot. This robot can also independently identify the position of an electric vehicle and automatically plug in and unplug the charging connector. It enables fast charging with 800 V.

The charging infrastructure specialist Shanghai Zhida has presented a flexible "snake-arm robot," 10 of which are already being tested in a pilot project at Hong Kong airport and will soon be plugging in the first charging cables in Singapore and Qatar as well.

Demand will Increase

The rapid growth of e-mobility in China is now also leading to the swift development of downstream supply chains, such as those for charging robots. Currently, around ten percent of the existing vehicle fleet in the People's Republic of China are battery-powered or hybrids, yet these New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) already account for more than half of new registrations. As more and more vehicles with combustion engines are replaced by electric cars or hybrids in the coming years, and autonomous parking assistance and other driving aids become increasingly smarter, the demand for charging robots is expected to rise significantly.

This development is accompanied by the rapid spread of smart driving functions in the Chinese e-mobility market. It makes little sense for smart electric cars to park completely autonomously while their owner is busy with more important matters, only for manual battery recharging to be required afterward. Charging robots thus help to create a "closed loop" in the brave new world of smart electric cars: the self-driving car or robotaxi can also be recharged fully autonomously.

Charging robots in China(Image: Unternehmen) — Charging robots in China
(Image: Unternehmen)

New Revenue Source for Battery Manufacturers

Forecasts predict an average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42.9 percent for the charging robot market in China by 2030, reports Tech in Asia. With such figures, it is no exaggeration to speak of a new boom. Particularly ambitious in this young but lucrative market are the major battery manufacturers, especially CATL. Its subsidiary CharGo has so far deployed only around 100 charging robots, mainly for demonstration purposes. However, things are now set to take off. According to CharGo, the company plans to deliver between 5,000 and 15,000 charging robots within the next two years.

Other major battery manufacturers in China, including Gotion High-Tech and BYD, also see the construction of charging robots as a way to diversify their business. As margins in the battery business shrink due to falling lithium prices and competition with car batteries forcing companies into increasingly larger price reductions, this presents a welcome new revenue source.

Addition to Charging Stations

Charging robots are unlikely to completely replace traditional charging stations, even in China. However, the scaling in production starting this year is causing investment costs for charging station operators to decline so rapidly that the purchase of the robots is becoming increasingly worthwhile. CharGo CEO Kevin Xu expects that by 2030, around 20 percent of all NEVs will already be charged by charging robots, allowing drivers to remain completely relaxed or go shopping or elsewhere.

A number of startups also offer charging robots, often focusing on specific market niches, such as supermarket or shopping mall parking lots.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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A charging robot named Owl, developed by a small company in Beijing, is already operating at four office buildings and shopping centers in Beijing. Since the price of electricity remains the same despite the convenient supply, they are very popular, including at the World Trade Center in the city center and at "Chaoyang Hopson One." This year, another 1,000 Owl charging robot colleagues are expected to begin service at 150 parking lots in Beijing, according to the local newspaper Beijing Ribao. (se)