Road to 'green' cars bumpy, but innovation is key

A woman checks out a BMW electric car during a recent NEV fair in Nanjing. Some makers of electric cars have cooperated with property developers to install charging stations at residential areas and office buildings. (Photo provided to China Daily)

Against the backdrop of the June 26-28 Summer Davos 2016 in Tianjin, China's evolving electric car segment shows it is determined to overcome challenges like poor infrastructure

For the past two years, Liu Yang, 30, a Beijing resident, has been driving an electric car. But, this year, she decided to buy a gasoline-powered sedan. Why? Simply because charging stations for electric cars are hard to find in and around the national capital.

"It is a nightmare to drive electric cars in big cities like Beijing, especially when you don't have charging facilities in your neighborhood," she said, adding there is always a long queue at the nearest charging station.

"Pumping gasolene at fuel stations is a pain, but at least it's only once a week or fortnight," Liu said.

Her complaints are quite common in China, as insufficient charging infrastructure is stopping automobile buyers from going electric, despite perks and privileges on offer.

To combat air pollution, China, the world's biggest maker and buyer of automobiles, is promoting low-emission vehicles to the average driver with a series of measures, including rebates on purchase of electric vehicles and exemption from the lottery system for driving licenses.

Last year, officials in Beijing also said they were considering cheaper or free parking for electric cars, but most drivers are still hesitant to go down the green path.

Ambitious target

Official data shows that more than 300,000 electric cars were sold in China last year, a fraction of the target the country set for itself. In 2012, China announced it is targeting to put 5 million electric cars on its roads by 2020.

The so-called range anxiety－it refers to worries that batteries won't carry as far as drivers want to travel－, a gaping lack of alternative fuel facilities at home, and affordability still trump environmental concerns for most of Chinese buyers, experts said.

Chinese officials are seeking to provide incentives to people to switch from ordinary cars to electric cars. But they also need to resolve the problem of insufficient chargers, said Robert Weisenmiller, chairman of the California Energy Commission. The state of California is home to over half of electric vehicles sold in the United States.

"There are a lot more high-rises and skyscrapers here (in China), so it makes charging much harder at home," he said. "People in the US are very concerned about having electric cars out of charge and not being able to recharge them."

Electric vehicle makers will typically install a charging pole at a driver's home, so they can power up cars overnight, but installation seems impossible in many communities across the country.

Ye Ke, owner of a Tesla Motors electric car in Beijing, said she does not find plugging in the car at night a problem as she has a fast charger installed in the garage at her house. But she faces a problem when she goes back to her apartment.

　　

Source: Road to 'green' cars bumpy, but innovation is key