Electric Vehicles in China Face Charging Challenges During Lunar New Year

Despite being a leader in electric vehicle adoption, China's recent Lunar New Year highlighted significant shortcomings in the country's infrastructure to support the growing number of EV owners. With millions taking to the road for the holiday, many faced long waits and insufficient resources when it came time to recharge their vehicles.

Infrastructure Constraints Lead to EV Struggles

The island province of Hainan, which has set a 2030 deadline to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles, became a focal point of these issues. Even though the definition of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China includes fully electric and plug-in hybrids, and these accounted for over 35 percent of vehicle sales in 2023, the country still has no definite nationwide plan for transitioning to these lower-emission vehicles.

During the mass departure from Hainan at the end of the Lunar New Year, queues of electric vehicles emerged, largely due to the fact that ferries can only transport a limited number of NEVs, constrained to 10 percent of the total vehicle capacity onboard to mitigate fire risks. As a result, numerous drivers were left with no choice but to leave their vehicles behind. Auto manufacturers such as Geely, Neta, and GAC had to step in, offering free vehicle shipping back to the owners.

However, the most substantial issue for electric vehicle owners was the lack of charging stations. The holiday season travel rush exacerbated the already pressing need for more charging options. Many service stations on highways provided a mere four to eight chargers, leading to long queues and extended waiting times.

Weather Conditions Add to the EV Challenges

Compounding the difficulties, China experienced severe snowstorms just before the holiday, wreaking havoc on EV performance. Battery efficiency drops significantly in cold weather, with heating systems reducing range by up to a third, and highway speeds further diminishing it. These conditions forced EV drivers to stop for recharging more frequently, typically every two to three hours, often facing wait times exceeding the half-hour charge time due to the queues.

To address these issues, during the Lunar New Year, some EV companies launched temporary solutions like mobile charging units. Nonetheless, the vast majority of the highway charging infrastructure is managed by the state-owned State Grid, which predominantly features older equipment not optimized for modern vehicles' fast-charging capabilities.

While temporary relief measures and the general waiving of road tolls during the holiday provided some benefit, the congestion and charging challenges signify an increasing interest in extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), which use a small gasoline engine to charge the battery on the go. Such hybrid solutions may see a rise in sales as a response to the infrastructural limitations currently faced by fully electric vehicle drivers in China.

China, ElectricVehicle, Infrastructure