context: As subsidies shift from NEV production to infrastructure construction, the limitations of the power grid become more pronounced. Electric vehicles are also only eco-friendly if they are charged with affordable green power.
Subsidy adjustments, automobile import tariff cuts and stricter technical standards are pushing electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to produce higher-end models, reports Economic Information Daily. As a result
- sales are growing steadily
- 328,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs) were sold from Jan to May 2018, up 122.9 percent y-o-y, of which 250,000 were EVs
- technology is improving
- range has increased from 120 to 300 kilometres
- charging facilities and post-sale services are maturing
- 266,231 public charging points were registered in May 2018, up 59.5 percent y-o-y
- an average of 8,273 charging points have been added every month since June 2017
Nevertheless, problems with charging infrastructure remain, reports China Auto News. Individual charging points will remain dominant for the foreseeable future, says Yi Mengchao 乙梦超 China Agricultural University Department of Transportation, calling for upgrades to the power grid. The trend should be towards distributed power generation, adds the report. All available charging technologies have shortcomings
- battery replacement
- unrealistically requires EV batteries to adopt uniform standards
- creates enormous cost for infrastructure upgrades, says Yi
- direct current (DC) quick charging
- requires upgrading the energy grid and power transformers, says Kim Hyoung-mi 金亨美 Natural Resources Defense Council analyst
- alternative current (AC) slow charging
- most 10 kVA transformers installed in households and commercial buildings will have to be renovated, even if EV make up less than 20 percent of total car stock, says Liu Jian 刘坚 National Development and Reform Commission Institute of Energy
- wireless EV charging
- not yet ready
- lacks standards
- high-power ultra-fast charging stations
- requires fuel cells to reach 3C charging rate
- needs cooling systems
- mobile EV charging units
- too big, immobile and cost-inefficient for daily use