Further Building a High Quality Charging Infrastructure System (People's Current Review) Network | New Energy | System
Focusing on the rapid growth trend of new energy vehicles in the future, we will plan and coordinate the construction, operation, and maintenance of charging infrastructure, continuously improve the network, and enhance service levels
In recent years, the new energy vehicle market in China has developed rapidly, and the demand for travel charging by the people has increased significantly, posing higher requirements for the construction of charging infrastructure. At the Politburo meeting of the Communist Party of China held at the end of April this year, it was proposed to consolidate and expand the development advantages of new energy vehicles, accelerate the construction of charging piles, energy storage facilities, and the renovation of supporting power grids. Recently, the General Office of the State Council issued the Guiding Opinions on Further Building a High Quality Charging Infrastructure System, requiring the construction of a high-quality charging infrastructure system in accordance with the basic principles of scientific layout, moderate advancement, innovative integration, and safety and convenience.
Charging infrastructure provides charging and swapping services for new energy vehicles and is an important transportation energy integration infrastructure. At present, China has built the world's largest charging infrastructure system in terms of quantity, service scope, and variety. However, at the same time, there are still problems with inadequate layout, unreasonable structure, unbalanced services, and non-standard operations in the charging infrastructure. Issues such as long charging queues during holidays in high-speed service areas, difficulty in installing private charging stations in residential areas, and high failure rates in locating charging stations have caused people trouble. Building a high-quality charging infrastructure system can help better meet the needs of the people to purchase and use new energy vehicles, and unleash the consumption potential of new energy vehicles; In the long run, it will also help promote the green and low-carbon transformation of transportation, and implement the goal of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality.
Building a high-quality charging infrastructure system primarily relies on optimizing and improving the network layout to better meet the charging needs of different fields and scenarios. An intercity charging network that effectively meets the long-distance travel needs of new energy vehicles should be built between cities. Especially in highway service areas, efforts should be made to accelerate the construction of charging infrastructure that adopts high-power charging technology. Rural areas should ensure effective coverage of charging infrastructure in areas suitable for the use of new energy vehicles. The service radius of public charging infrastructure in some central urban areas has been comparable to that of gas stations, but there is still a need to strengthen construction efforts in the surrounding areas and popular parks and scenic spots. The construction of a charging network with urban, highway, and rural point layouts is necessary to ensure that the charging infrastructure system effectively supports the development of the new energy vehicle industry and effectively meets the travel and charging needs of the people.
The construction of charging infrastructure should not only solve the problem of whether it is available, but also the problem of whether it is good or not. Many new energy vehicle users have experienced inconvenient experiences such as occupied charging spaces, slow charging in high-speed service areas, technical malfunctions in charging stations, and cumbersome operation of operator apps. Continuously improving the economy and convenience of charging services, expanding diversified and effective supply, and comprehensively improving service quality and efficiency are essential aspects of building a high-quality charging infrastructure system. The guidance issued this time proposes to build an information network platform and promote the construction of a national charging facility monitoring service platform. In the future, public charging infrastructure will have direct access to one network, and charging stations will be interconnected with new energy vehicles, urban and road transportation service networks, etc. The user experience of new energy vehicles will be further improved.
Currently, some cities and counties in Zhejiang and Guangdong are promoting the construction of "five minute charging circles" to safeguard green travel. However, charging facilities have the characteristics of high investment and operation costs, weak profitability, and long capital recovery cycles. In addition, the difficulty of electricity transformation in some residential areas poses significant challenges to the operating entities. Increasing policy support and creating favorable conditions for various business entities to showcase their skills are necessary to ensure that the charging infrastructure system is built quickly and well.
The development of new energy vehicles is a necessary path for China to move from an automotive powerhouse to an automotive powerhouse, and is a strategic measure to address climate change and promote green development. Focusing on the rapid growth trend of new energy vehicles in the future, we will plan and coordinate the construction, operation, and maintenance of charging infrastructure, continuously improve the network, and enhance service levels. This will play a greater role in promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of transportation and the development and growth of the new energy vehicle industry.