China Planning Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

China is rushing in to build its own network of electric charging stations. Xinhua, the government's official newspaper, announced last week that the State Grid Corporation, the world's largest electric power transmission and distribution company, is speeding up its plans to build electric car charging stations.

The stations will be located in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and other large cities.

The power charging stations will be built as a pilot project to initially serve electric buses and sedans in a trial run with plans to eventually cover the entire nation. Each station will cost the equivalent of about $37,000 to $44,000.

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Comments

[EVtransPortal]

06:01 PM on 10/21/2008

We have electric vehicle charging stations and companies involved in this in the US.
We maintain an information project on this subject here http://EVtransPortal.com/cerip.html

The biggest problem the US is going to face is that we do not have Lithium ion battery manufacturing capacity in the US, 90% of the lithium ion battery factories are in China, Japan, and Korea. Billions are being spent by companies such as Exxon Mobil, Johnson Controls/Saft to build lithium ion battery and component factories overseas, but not in the US (except for EnerDel) even US companies such as A123 often source their lithium cell manufacturing from overseas companies such as Continental along with all of the major suppliers already established in Asia. The US is going to be trading our dependence on foreign oil for dependence on foreign batteries to power electric drive cars and store energy from renewable resource electricity generation. We are already selling our cutting edge lithium ion battery research, funded with US taxpayer dollars to Japanese companies like Toda Kogyo. http://www.carlist.com/blog/?p=1061 at least partly because no US companies have stepped forward with the capacity to produce batteries with the technology developed here in the US.

[rosiebond007]

03:38 PM on 09/24/2008

WHERE ARE THE BRIGHTEST MINDS THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE HERE IN AMERICA?

WHY ARE THEY NOT ABLE TO PRODUCE AN INEXPENSIVE ELECTRIC CAR?

WHY ARE THEY UNABLE TO FIGURE OUT RE-CHARGING STATIONS?

HOW CAN THEY MAKE THESE CRAZY MOBILE PHONES THAT ARE OUT OF DATE WHEN YOU WALK OUT OF THE STORE AND NOONE IN DETROIT CAN FIGURE OUT AN ELECTRIC CAR?
WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING ALL DAY?

IF THERE ARE CHEAPER BETTER CARS IN EUROPE - BRING THEM OVER IMMEDIATELY.
NEVER MIND THE OIL COMPANIES - ITS THE CONSUMER WHO BUYS AND PAYS.

[Ides]

07:53 PM on 09/24/2008

They're in Los Angeles. It was called the EV1. Go ask GM.

[darthdarcy]

01:45 PM on 09/23/2008

Electricity from coal and nuclear and some hydro...mostly coal..!

[Xebra]

08:06 AM on 09/24/2008

Also solar, wind, wave; many options not fully utilized or even explored yet. Soon everyone will need to have infrastructure like these charging stations in place for the EVs that are going to proliferate.

[DAE]

12:08 PM on 09/23/2008

In1808 China produced 35% of world GDP. In 1908 China produced less than 5% of world GDP. In 2008 China produces 25% of world GDP. By 2058 China will once again produce 35% of world GDP. What goes around comes around. Until the 19th century China was the world leader in all aspects of civilization. Then came the industrial revolution (based on innovations pioneered by the Chinese during the Song dynasty 500 years before) and the spread of European colonialism. China is merely resuming its rightful place in the world after a short (by Chinese standards) interregnum.

[KillTheMessenger]

12:30 PM on 09/23/2008

Pssst.... don't bother them with facts. Their little minds are made up!

[icechaos]

09:44 AM on 09/23/2008

You libs are just stupid.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6769743.stm

China is now building about two power stations every week, the top climate change official at the UK Foreign Office, John Ashton, has said.

[Merckx]

10:00 AM on 09/23/2008

Two different stories. This one is about electric cars.
Another story would be about coal fired plants.
Who is stupid?

[KillTheMessenger]

12:32 PM on 09/23/2008

The "libs are stupid" thing is a sure sign of trolling. I am sorry that your parent's basement smells bad, but at least you have a computer. Why don't you do something "productive" with it? Like watching porn? Wouldn't that be more fun?

[DiscoStu]

11:30 PM on 09/22/2008

Why are't you stinking hippies crying because the Communists in China are using COAL to generate all that "clean" electricity to power the heavy metal filled batteries of these cars?

[KillTheMessenger]

12:33 PM on 09/23/2008

The Simpsons' version of Discostu is at least funny.

[Ides]

07:56 PM on 09/24/2008

Good point. China's power generation technology is barbaric and abyssmal. Of course, your argument wrongly implies that the infrastructure is dependent on the particular power generation, which it's not.

That would be like me being a vegetarian and complaining about the use of organic feed given to chickens to feed hunger in the third world.

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

08:53 PM on 09/22/2008

When your story includes the words "China" and "lead", you need a pronunciation guide......."lead" as in "leeeeed" or "lead" as in "led"......with the CHinese, one never knows for sure!!

[mouselion]

07:04 PM on 09/22/2008

*Air-pressure*

When is the world going to wake up?

[GarryGolden]

04:24 PM on 09/22/2008

I am glad to see two things-

1) China thinking beyond infrastructure for the combustion engine. I do not believe oil is our problem. The issue is the combustion engine. What is important here is that China is saying yes to electric propulsion systems.

2) Recognition that 'plug ins' will require tremendous investments. It is not as simple as just tapping 'existing infrastructure'. We will need extensions.

I am glad to see batteries evolving, but skeptical of their long term viability against fuel cell systems. I believe that batteries and electricity are only a piece of the puzzle to electric propulsion systems. We must recognize the role of hydrogen fuel cells as complimentary to battery systems.

I believe we have more choices than batteries alone.. and need to consider near-term vs long-term investments of plug in stations for electrons vs hydrogen storage. Sometimes the short-term fix is not the best solution.

So I'm glad to see the real world applications (esp in China) of plug-ins but also think we need to think wisely about where we want to put our resources.

Cars are not iPods- and it is hard to imagine batteries being the platform for electric motors in the decades ahead. I think it is time for us to have a more serious conversation about hydrogen as a storage medium for electricity. Rather than try to extend electricity lines into the transportation sector.

Thanks for the news!!!

Garry G - Editor, TheEnergyRoadmap.com

[KillTheMessenger]

04:32 PM on 09/22/2008

It's not the size of your combustion engine (electric motor, battery, insert your favorite technology here) that matters but what you do with it. The Chinese usually use a 200hp ICE to drive a bus that can transport 40 people instead of one.

Compared to the advantages of having a working public transportation system any advances in propulsion technology are futile child's play.

Electric buses are a very old invention, by the way. They are usually called "trolleys" and this is what they look like:

http://www.atel.eu/en/images/energy_services_stromabn_trolley_new_medium_tcm61-18365.jpg
http://www.diff.net/summer2000/pics/bern/electric_bus_with_overhead_power.orig.jpg

I have been riding these things as a kid and there are even some places in the US where they can be found, although way too few.

Having said that, the Chinese are of course doing the right thing. But it won't make any difference in comparison to all the other things they are doing right already.

[Exusian]

10:31 PM on 09/22/2008

I used to ride them, too, until my city got rid of them in the 1990s. They were clean and quiet. Oh well, at least we still have street cars.

[dabrigadier]

04:06 PM on 09/22/2008

Drill Drill Drill.... What idiots these republicans are. The rest of the world is going to leave American behind while they are yelling about drilling. I don't think Democracy will survive. Because half the country are stupid republicans, the rest are raciest democrats & the others just don't care enough to change.
Obama/Biden 08

[KillTheMessenger]

10:50 AM on 09/22/2008

Whatever happened to the US being the world leader in everything?

All that seems to be left is that we are the world's economic loss leader. Oh, yeah, our swimmers are pretty good, too.

[Egalitare]

03:27 PM on 09/22/2008

Yeah, Team!!

[macracan]

04:41 PM on 09/22/2008

What do you mean? We _are_ leaders in everything that matters. Pretty soon we'll export Jesus. Watch out world, watch out for the power of prayer. Don't piss us off! We might pray you into oblivion and no amount of nucular weapons are going to save you!

Disclaimer: For those that don't quite get it, I _am_ being sarcastic!

[KillTheMessenger]

04:55 PM on 09/22/2008

And I thought the Chinese were exporting Jesus...

http://www.aaanativearts.com/catalog2/product_info.php/pName/jesus-action-figure-talking-doll

I mean, this is a must have for every evangelical. He is about as fake as the version of the guy they are praying to.

[ronspri]

10:21 AM on 09/22/2008

In the mean time over in the good ole USA we are forced to live in the past with the neanderthals hollering drill here, drill now!