New communities being built in and around Beijing will be required to install charge points for at least 18% of their parking units, according to a new government plan aimed at enhancing infrastructure and therefore adoption of electric powered vehicles.
The plan, catchily titled, Enforcement Rules for Power-Charging Facilities for New-Energy Passenger Cars in Beijing should mean 1,000 rapid DC charge points will be installed this year alone. The city’s government is also expected to increase the number of street based rapid chargers too, with at least 100 units installed by the end of the year.
Lack of infrastructure is deemed to be one of the key contributing factors as to why electric vehicle adoption has been slow, as well as the pre-conception that charge times can be lengthy. By installing many rapid chargers about the city, Beijing hopes people’s fears of range anxiety and charge times will be switched to range confidence and a disregard for lengthy recharge waiting.
At present, Beijing has fewer than 100 public charge posts which themselves are mainly used for public buses and taxis, with privately owned vehicles not allowed to use them.
The new incentive is set to put a dramatic change to this situation and should in part aid decisions towards the purchase of electric vehicles.
Source; Want China Times
