With the rapid increase in new energy vehicles, freeway charging issues have become increasingly prominent. Understanding the charging behavior of these vehicles is crucial for optimizing charging infrastructure along freeways. The charging characteristics of new energy vehicles were analyzed based on two weeks of data from 24 charging piles across four service areas on the Xuguang Freeway in Hunan Province, China. The analysis considers both vehicle behavior and Charging Piles utilization. Regarding vehicle charging behavior, most sessions are relatively short, with an average charging duration of 35 minutes and an average energy transfer of 26.8 kW·h. However, both charging duration and volume vary substantially depending on the service area, travel direction, and time of day. Moreover, although the rated power of the charging piles is 60 kW, actual charging power varies significantly, averaging 46.9 kW. From the perspective of charging pile utilization, the facilities were underutilized during weekdays and weekends but experience high demand during holidays. For instance, a single charging pile recorded 44 daily sessions during the May Day holiday, compared to only 15 on regular days. Consequently, the daily utilization rate of a charging pile is 53.3% on May Day, compared to just 19.3% on weekdays and 17.9% on weekends. Beta regression model was established to identify significant factors influencing the utilization rates, revealing that maximum daily temperature has a significantly negative impact. Based on the findings, it is recommended that freeway charging infrastructure be planned according to typical weekday and weekend demand patterns. Additionally, mobile charging piles should be deployed during holidays to accommodate peak demand. Furthermore, charging fees should be dynamically adjusted based on factors such as time of day, holidays, travel periods, and service area to encourage shorter charging sessions during peak hours and longer sessions during off-peak periods.