Leading the charge to e-mobility

Challenges

"It is a challenging problem," Niu Jinming, director of the Beijing New-Energy Vehicle Development and Promotion Center, said at the conference.

Niu said 6,664 potential e-car buyers have received permission for license plates this year, but how many will make the purchase remains unknown as they have up to six months to make a final decision.

The city government announced that a total of 170,000 license plates will be issued from 2014 to 2017 for new-energy vehicles.

According to a recent report in the 21st Century Business Herald, only 44 customers so far have applied to install charging poles.

Xia Baoshan, executive vice-president of Beijing Association of Automobile Manufacturers, told the newspaper that difficulties in charging pose a major impediment to ownership of electric vehicles in Beijing.

Challenges include lack of parking space in old neighborhoods, limited electricity capacity and potential safety concerns for property management companies, he said.

New regulations

Responding to the challenges, the Beijing municipal government is formulating new plans and regulations with the aim of getting more charging facilities into neighborhoods.

A recent regulation from the Beijing Municipal Committee of Development and Reform and several other governmental departments mandates that property management companies and owner committees support and cooperate the installation of charging facilities in neighborhoods.

The regulation also holds automakers responsible for installation of charging facilities and must offer after-sale services. Also, private buyers will be charged the standard electricity price instead of the more expensive ladder price for charging in their neighborhoods.

According to recent local media reports, another plan that will soon be released by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning will require property developers in Beijing to equip 18 percent of parking lots in new and renovated neighborhoods with charging outlets.

While private market for electric cars is still in its infancy, the vehicles are increasingly used in public transportation in Beijing.

Zhang from the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission said at the conference that by the end of 2013, about 1,600 electric taxies went into operation in the suburban districts of Beijing.

He said that the plan is for all taxis to be electric in 10 suburban districts.

Also, new taxis in downtown Beijing will all be electricity-powered, he said.

More electric buses will hit the road in Beijing too, he added.

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