In recent years, the new energy vehicle industry has entered a period of rapid development. Before 2009, my country had less than 500 new energy vehicles; by 2017, my country had about 1.7 million new energy vehicles, accounting for more than 50% of the global new energy vehicle market. The transformation of transportation by replacing petroleum and internal combustion engines with electricity and power batteries has become a trend.
However, behind this booming development lie some problems, namely, policy remains the dominant factor in purchasing decisions. Sales of new energy vehicles still largely rely on policy "dividends" such as license plate restrictions, subsidies, etc. Difficulties in installing charging stations, excessively long charging times, and subpar product quality remain significant factors limiting development.
Buying a car is easy, but installing a charging station is difficult; it took half a year to install one.
Ms. Sun, who works in the media, bought a BYD e5 in 2015. However, she did not expect that while buying the car was not troublesome, installing the charging station would take half a year.
After taking delivery of her car, Ms. Sun actively applied to the manufacturer and State Grid for the installation of a home charging station. However, after submitting relevant documents such as proof of her parking space, the property management refused to install it, citing reasons such as affecting the building's electricity supply, safety concerns regarding the charging station, and the lack of precedent for installing charging stations.
After three months of negotiations, the property management finally allowed the installation of charging piles after State Grid staff conducted an on-site inspection and determined that the parking space met the requirements.
Ms. Sun said that the cost of installing the charging station is actually not much. The charging station and labor costs are free, and the first 30 meters of the charging cable are free; anything beyond that is charged according to length. Ms. Sun spent about 2,000 yuan on the more than 100 meters of charging cable.
In response, the reporter interviewed Chang Ming, the executive vice president of the channel department of Fudian New Energy Group, who works in the industry. "The price of a charging pile is 3,000 yuan, but manufacturers usually give it away with the car, so car owners do not need to spend money to buy it separately." However, he also said that due to the shortage of parking spaces in the community and the consideration of the property management for the capacitor, the installation process of the charging pile does take 3 to 6 months, and the property management is the key to the smooth installation of the charging pile.
For a second car, a new energy vehicle is the preferred choice due to its low operating costs, but the long charging time poses a challenge for experienced drivers.
"As a driver with 13 years of experience, the Denza is definitely not my family's first car." Because of Beijing's policy of not restricting the use of new energy vehicles, Ms. Wang, a manager at an internet company, purchased a Denza 300 in 2016.
The Denza 300 solved Ms. Wang's driving restrictions. In one year, the Denza 300 has driven 14,000 kilometers. Because it's always charged at a slow charging station in her own parking garage, the battery is almost always fully charged and discharged. In spring and autumn, when the air conditioning isn't needed, the vehicle's range can even reach over 320 kilometers. Of course, frequently using the air conditioning or heater will significantly reduce the range, but even then, the actual range can still exceed 200 kilometers.
“I charge my car about once a week, almost always on the weekend. As for the electricity cost, since the price of electricity differs between day and night, the cost is about 0.08 yuan per kilometer, which is about 1/10 of the cost of fuel for a gasoline car.”
The only drawback is the long charging time for new energy vehicles; a slow charge takes about 16 hours to fully charge the battery. Although the manufacturer claims that "charge whenever you use it, and daily charging will not damage the battery," perfectionists like Ms. Wang still prefer to charge the battery as much as possible.
Many consumers like Ms. Wang own their first car but are constrained by traffic restrictions. Therefore, they prioritize new energy vehicles when purchasing a second car. However, it is precisely because of the comparison with gasoline cars that the differences become more apparent.
Hu Xiaoqing, Marketing Director of Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co., Ltd., stated that the promotion of new energy vehicles has exposed some issues that consumers care about but have not been adequately addressed, including user experience, charging convenience, and after-sales service. Currently, the new energy vehicle market is still in its very early stages. If more brands and better products enter the market, it will also help find mature solutions for new energy vehicle charging as soon as possible.
New energy vehicles still need to improve their internal capabilities to address the issue of insufficient driving range.
Ms. Li, born in the 1980s, is the online manager of an early childhood education institution in Beijing. She obtained her driver's license before graduating from university and immediately joined the "lottery army". Four years have passed, and Ms. Li has not only obtained her "graduation certificate" but also her "marriage certificate", but she still has not won the lottery.
"After getting pregnant, I realized how inconvenient it is not to have a car. For example, when I have a prenatal checkup and the weather is bad, it's hard to get a taxi. Public transportation is also very crowded. Meanwhile, the success rate of winning the lottery for a license plate continues to decline, and I feel like there's really no hope of winning," Ms. Li said.
In November 2016, before her child was born, Ms. Li purchased a BAIC New Energy EU260, which solved her daily transportation problem. Charging it once a week was basically enough. "Every time I see parents squeezing onto buses with their children, I feel especially glad that I bought a new energy vehicle."
A survey in Beijing showed that in 2017, people traveled an average of 40-60 kilometers per day, which was sufficient for the EU260's daily commuting needs. However, most new energy vehicles have a range of only 300-400 kilometers, which is only suitable for short trips and has significant limitations as the sole vehicle for a family.
According to industry statistics, there were 40 complaints related to new energy vehicles in 2017. Notably, 14 of these complaints (35%) concerned motor issues, while 26 (65%) concerned power battery issues. This demonstrates that power batteries remain a major source of complaints about new energy vehicles.
Therefore, automakers still need to examine themselves, diligently improve their internal capabilities, and focus on product development, increasing innovation and R&D in quality, technology, and design to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies such as power batteries. New energy vehicle companies must be patient, recognize the gaps, aim for international best practices, and take steady steps, combining product development with policy support, in order for China's new energy vehicle industry to achieve a "leapfrog development."
