Possession of motor vehicles in China has been rising fast, along with continuous economic growth, social development and improvements in living standards, causing severe energy and environmental stress. To relieve the stress, China is promoting electric vehicles as good alternatives to conventional vehicles. By 2020, the accumulated production and sales of electric vehicles are expected to reach five million. Large-scale connection of electric vehicles to the power grid would inevitably bring challenges to the power sector. In this paper, an electric vehicle and multi-region load-dispatch grid-structure-based (EVMLG) mathematical model is presented, aiming to investigate the interaction between electric vehicles and the power sector. Impacts of charging behaviors are carefully considered. Through case studies, we conclude that (1) the development of electric vehicles will influence regional generation portfolio and operation pattern of the power sector, and increase the utilization of renewables, (2) guided charging can adapt to the power sector, and lead to better economic and environmental benefits, (3) electric vehicles are suitable to be deployed in resource-rich regions, and (4) the development potential of electric vehicles in China is huge from the viewpoint of power supply capacity. (C) 2017 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.