Key points in this article
A big total, a private tilt
The total looks ample, but over seventy percent are private piles locked to fixed spaces and idle by day. Only the sub thirty percent public piles carry the real public mission, creating a paradox of improving ratios yet anxious searching at the worst time.
The ratio is actually worsening
The public car to pile ratio widened from six point one to one in 2020 to eight point seven seven to one by end 2024, and is expected to reach nine point six eight to one, meaning each public pile serves more vehicles than the year before.
What it means for operators
Dongshang New Energy and Dongdian Huichong in Yantai read this as a reminder: public network value lies in who can use it anytime, so placing piles where residents truly need them beats piling up numbers that sit empty most of the week.
The lesson for Yantai is siting over quantity. A public pile placed where daily life already flows will out earn three piles parked at the edge of town that nobody's route ever crosses. Dongshang New Energy chases the commute, not the empty corner lot.