Vice premier urges expansion of China's network of public EV charging stations
China's local governments must accelerate construction of public charging stations for electric vehicles, which has become a "bottleneck" hampering development of the industry, Vice Premier Ma Kai said.
"There's still a long way to go before China becomes globally competitive in new-energy vehicles," Ma said during a tour in Jiangsu province on May 15, according to a Xinhua news report. "The development of charging facilities is especially lagging behind and become a bottleneck, and needs to be solved as soon as possible."
China has made the development of electric cars a strategic initiative, part of its plan to gain leadership in automotive technology and reduce the country's reliance on imported oil.
While the central government has offered subsidies to automakers and car buyers, EV sales have lagged. Lack of access to charging facilities has been a key concern among users.
China must move faster to revise charging standards, and construction of charging stations in residential developments, company facilities and public parking lots should be accelerated, Ma said.
China has made the development of electric cars a strategic initiative, part of its plan to gain leadership in automotive technology and reduce the country's reliance on imported oil.
While the central government has offered subsidies to automakers and car buyers, EV sales have lagged. Lack of access to charging facilities has been a key concern among users.
China must move faster to revise charging standards, and construction of charging stations in residential developments, company facilities and public parking lots should be accelerated, Ma said.
