An electric vehicle charging company from Hong Kong is attempting to encourage the growth of electric vehicles in China by establishing a vehicle charging network within the country.
The EV Power Group is building the infrastructure needed to support the faster growth of electric cars in China. Led by its founder Martin Tsang, the company is installing 600 charging stations in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Tsang said at a recent summit, “It is a chicken and egg question, with no charger there are no EVs, with no EVs there are no chargers, so our company has made the first step.”
By 2020, the government of China hopes to have at least five million alternative energy cars.
The EV Power Group currently operates 3,000 chargers in places like shopping malls, office buildings, and residential sites. The company operates in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Right now, the company is working to cooperate with other charging providers in order to maximize the number of available charging locations, as well as to standardize a payment method.
According to Tsang, the EV Power Group plans to expand its network to 10 to 15 new Chinese cities during the next year.
ABB is another Chinese company that manufactures chargers for electric vehicles. The company operates a fast charging system for taxis. ABB has also provided 500 home chargers to the car companies of BYD and Daimler, who formed a joint-effort to produce their Denza electric car.
ABB spokesperson Walter Stein said that it would be more challenging for a company from the United States or Europe to create a similar charging network in the country. Chinese companies have the edge due to their ability to collaborate with local electric car manufacturers.
Stein said, “If you drive a Chinese car, it doesn’t matter which [charging] system you hit, you will be able to [use it]. We work together with all the Chinese car manufacturers and all the Chinese charger manufacturers”
Currently, ABB maintains ten charging systems in Hong Kong. The company plans to double this number within the next year.
ABB has also had success in Europe, having installed country-wide electric vehicle charging networks in countries such as Denmark, where it has 150 fast charging systems, and Holland, where it has 200.
According to the company, a 30-minute charge from one of their 50 kilowatt charging stations can power an electric car for more than 62 miles. Each charging station costs more than $22,000 to install.
Stein said the industry expects to provide one fast charger for every 50 cars on a global level.
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