State Grid Takes the Lead in Deploying Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Beijing

　　Following its lead over oil companies in setting industry standards, power utilities have once again taken the initiative in Beijing’s race to establish a comprehensive network of electric-vehicle charging stations. Yesterday, a representative from State Grid Beijing Electric Power Company (hereinafter referred to as “Beijing Electric Power”) disclosed that the company will soon commence construction of EV charging stations across the city and is on track to complete Beijing’s first such station next month.

“The company will collaborate with the Beijing Municipal Government on a range of initiatives, including the construction of electric-vehicle charging stations and the utilization of new energy sources; however, the specific commencement date for these projects will depend on market conditions and relevant policies.” A spokesperson for Beijing Power Company confirmed in an interview with this newspaper that the soon-to-be-completed charging station is located at Hangtianqiao and, upon completion, will become Beijing’s first comprehensive, high-tech charging facility, with battery-swapping times even shorter than traditional refueling.

　　To support the development of electric-vehicle charging stations, the Beijing Electric Power Company’s Testing and Research Institute has established a dedicated laboratory responsible for research, testing, and inspection related to electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. The EV laboratory comprises a battery-testing room, a monitoring room, a simulated charging station, a power-distribution room, and dedicated charging areas for batteries and chargers. Upon completion, the laboratory will be able to verify the safety, reliability, and stability of EV charging stations; the data collected in the monitoring room will also provide valuable information for the company’s charging-station deployment and ensure the quality of EV charging equipment.

　　Meanwhile, news emerged yesterday that the subsidy standards for new-energy vehicles have been finalized: the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Science and Technology have completed their joint endorsement, and some companies already received the official document yesterday, eager to ramp up mass production.

　　A marketing executive at an electric-vehicle charging-equipment manufacturer in Beijing told reporters that the company has recently begun engaging with the two major power-grid operators, and tendering has already commenced for charging-station construction projects in several cities.

　　In fact, although electric-vehicle technology is not yet fully mature, major corporations have already entered the race to build charging stations. Since 2009, four state-owned giants—the State Grid Corporation of China, China Southern Power Grid, Sinopec, and CNOOC—have successively accelerated the development of charging infrastructure and begun negotiations with provincial and municipal governments on collaborative projects.

　　In January of this year, State Grid Corporation announced that it plans to comprehensively advance the construction of electric-vehicle charging stations across 27 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions within its operating area, with plans to build 75 public charging stations, install 6,209 AC charging piles, and establish a number of battery-swap stations, thereby accelerating the industrialization of the electric-vehicle sector.

　　Meanwhile, the charging-station interface standard jointly developed by the State Grid has been submitted to the National Standards Committee for review and is expected to be promulgated in June of this year. At the time, industry analysts pointed out that the standards of the two grid operators are quite similar; therefore, once these standards are elevated to national-level status, any modifications required for the charging stations already built by the two companies would likely be limited to minor details, whereas oil companies would face significant challenges in rolling out their own charging infrastructure.