Cui Dongshu: The number of public charging piles in October increased by 62,600 compared to the previous month, which is 1% lower than the same period last year.
19/11/2024
GMT Eight
Cui Dongshu wrote that according to the data analysis of the China Charging Alliance compiled by the China Automobile Association, the total number of public charging piles reached 3.39 million in October 2024, an increase of 62,600 compared to the previous month, which was 1% slower than the same period last year. The annual cumulative increase of public charging piles in 2024 was 665,000, a 9% decrease compared to the same period last year. There are currently 8.49 million private charging piles, with an increase of 390,000 in October, a growth rate of 56%. The annual cumulative increase of private charging piles in 2024 was 2.62 million, a 30% increase compared to the same period last year. The average monthly electricity consumption per public charging pile was 1,474 kWh, a significant increase compared to 1,271 kWh in October last year.
In recent years, China's charging infrastructure has developed rapidly and has built the world's largest, most comprehensive, and diverse charging infrastructure system. According to calculations where 1 public charging pile equals 3 private charging piles, the ratio of pure electric vehicle charging piles in China's incremental market in 2024 has reached 1:1, far surpassing the levels of other countries in the world.
Currently, the charging infrastructure still faces issues such as insufficient layout, unreasonable structure, outdated charging pile technology, uneven service, and lack of standardized operation, which need to be improved urgently. The rate of regretful purchases of electric vehicles has increased in some lower-tier areas. With the continuous increase in scale, adjustments are relatively easy, and there is great potential for the advancement of electric vehicles.
The result of the moderately advanced development of charging piles is underutilization, leading to overall losses in charging facility operations. The ratio of incremental public charging piles to pure electric passenger cars is currently 1.5:1. If each public charging pile is considered to serve at least 3 vehicles, the charging system for pure electric passenger cars is basically in a 1:1 relationship, which is a relatively good ratio.
In terms of operating charging enterprises, leading operators have shown strong performance. Guangqi Energy's average monthly charging amount in October was around 7,039 kWh, showing good performance every month. NIO Inc. Sponsored ADR Class A's charging pile usage reached around 2,599 kWh. In contrast, some older charging piles only had an average monthly charging amount of over 100 kWh, while the leading charging enterprises have monthly charging amounts in the thousands, with a significant gap in charging capacity. Tesla, Inc. has maintained stable data each month, showing excellent performance. Looking ahead to the rapid growth of new energy vehicles, especially electric vehicles, it is necessary to further develop a high-quality charging infrastructure system, upgrade old low-power AC charging piles, increase high-power DC fast charging, and better meet the needs of the people in purchasing and using new energy vehicles, promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of transportation and the construction of a modern infrastructure system.
1. General status of charging piles
Charging infrastructure provides charging and swapping services for electric vehicles and is an important infrastructure for the integration of transportation energy.
In 2021, the number of public charging piles increased by 340,000, while private charging piles increased by 600,000. The annual increase in public charging piles decreased by 18% compared to 2020, while private charging piles decreased by 32%.
In 2022, the number of public charging piles increased by 650,000, while private charging piles increased by 1.94 million. The annual increase in public charging piles increased by 92% compared to 2021, while private charging piles increased by 226% compared to 2021.
In 2023, the number of public charging piles increased by 930,000, with an annual increase of 43% compared to 2022. By the end of 2023, private charging piles increased by 2.457 million, a 27% increase compared to 2022.
In October 2024, the total number of public charging piles reached 3.39 million, with an increase of 62,600 compared to the previous month, which was 1% slower than the same period last year. The annual cumulative increase of public charging piles in 2024 was 665,000, a 9% decrease compared to the same period last year. There are currently 8.49 million private charging piles, with an increase of 390,000 in October, a growth rate of 56%. The annual cumulative increase of private charging piles in 2024 was 2.62 million, a 30% increase compared to the same period last year. The average monthly electricity consumption per public charging pile was 1,474 kWh, a significant increase compared to 1,271 kWh in October last year.
2. Monthly growth status of charging piles
From January to October 2024, the number of public charging piles increased by 665,000 compared to the end of 2023, showing a 9% decrease.
Charging piles are mainly privately operated. According to surveys, charging is mainly done through private charging piles, shared charging piles, and public charging piles in residential areas or companies, with each accounting for around 22-26%, totaling about 75%. Some respondents charge at public charging piles outside their residential areas, while others charge at public charging piles in places like shopping malls and cinemas.
3. Analysis of public charging piles in various regions
From January to October 2024, the number of public charging piles in Guangdong increased by about 80,000, and its share of charging piles reached 19%. In the same period last year, it increased by 150,000, with a share of 21%, showing a slight decrease in share this year.
There are significant differences in the situation of public charging stations in different regions, with larger charging stations mainly concentrated in developed cities. Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Beijing have well-developed charging stations.
From January to October 2024, Shandong saw an increase of around 47,300 charging piles, while Anhui saw an increase of around 32,400 charging piles, with rapid growth in market share.
Beijing currently has 140,000 public charging piles, with an increase of 13,000 this year, indicating a large-scale and stable growth. The same situation applies to Shanghai.
Currently, the ratio of public charging piles to vehicle charging piles in China is far better than in Europe and America, but there is a problem of underutilization: first, insufficient coverage. Currently, 10% of service areas on highways and less than 5% of rural charging infrastructure are not covered. Second, the structure is unreasonable. 99% of charging facilities are still fast and slow chargers, and 64% of public DC fast charging piles are still low-voltage piles at 750V or below, unable to support the development of next-generation high-voltage super-fast chargers at 800V and above. On a micro level: first, high maintenance costs. The proportion of idle equipment exceeds 30%, with low digitization, increasing the difficulty and cost of maintenance management; second, poor quality of traditional air-cooled equipment. The equipment has a lifespan of only 3-5 years, and operators face replacement before recovering their investment; third, poor service quality. The proportion of zombie piles reaches 10%, unable to charge, exacerbating user charging anxiety.
4. Analysis of charging enterprisespuedo ayudarte con algo?In our country, charging pile operators can generally be divided into four types: 1) Integrated enterprises of charging pile production and manufacturing with investment and operation of charging network, mainly using heavy asset models, focusing on operation of own assets, and collaborating with other operators and third-party platforms, including Star Charge (owned by Wanbang Digital), TELD (Qingdao TGOOD Electric), Wanmaichong (Zhejiang Wanma), Putian New Energy, Shanghai Yiwei Energy, Shenzhen Power Network (partially owned by Shenzhen Clou Electronics), etc. 2) Grid-built charging pile network, including State Grid (State Grid Electric Vehicle Service Co., Ltd.) and Southern Grid (Southern Grid Electric Vehicle Service Co., Ltd.). 3) Large vehicle enterprise groups built their own charging network, including Tesla, Inc., NIO Inc. Sponsored ADR Class A, Xiaopeng, SAIC AnYue, GAC Energy, etc., where some vehicle companies outsource the construction and operation of charging networks to asset-based charging operators and third-party charging service providers. 4) Third-party operators of charging networks, such as Cloud Fast Charging, Xiaojuchong (owned by DiDi Chuxing), Shenzhen Hui Neng, mainly using a light asset model, focusing on the vast long-tail market of charging piles, providing Saas services to regional operators, essentially acting as IT service providers.
There are four major competitive barriers in the domestic charging pile operation industry: funding, site, grid capacity, and data resources. Currently, the industry has shown a Matthew effect, with the concentration of market share increasing among leading companies. The development scale of DC charging piles is relatively large, with leading operators performing well. GAC Energy's charging pile average monthly charging reached 7,039 kWh in October, performing well each month. NIO Inc. Sponsored ADR Class A's charging pile charging volume reached around 2,599 kWh. Tesla, Inc. reached 3,634 kWh in the early stages, all performing well. Meanwhile, some old charging piles only average over 100 kWh per month, while the leading charging enterprises reach thousands of kWh per month, showing a significant difference in efficiency. Tesla, Inc. maintains stable data each month, with promising data.
Charging piles are divided into two categories: direct current piles (fast charging) and alternating current piles (slow charging). Direct current charging piles are characterized by their large size, high voltage, high power, and fast charging capabilities, with a higher requirement on the power grid. These are usually installed at highway service areas and public transportation locations, thus their quantity is relatively low, accounting for around 20%. Alternating current charging piles, on the other hand, have a relatively lower unit price, easier installation, and are typically privately owned, leading to a higher quantity and wider distribution, accounting for over 80%. From a technological development perspective, direct current piles are gradually moving towards high-power development.
Internationally, public dedicated charging piles have shown the best efficiency, especially for orderly charging demands such as public transportation. The numbers and density of public DC charging piles are increasing globally. China is leading in the promotion of DC charging piles: for example, by 2024, the share of DC charging piles in China's public network will exceed 42%. Meanwhile, the Middle East has emerged as a rising "new star" in DC charging piles: the share of DC charging piles increased by 7% in 2022, reaching over 21%; the density of DC charging piles increased by 125%, with 1.3 DC charging piles per 100 kilometers of road. Both of these aspects are expected to further grow rapidly.
The ultimate charging experience should have three main characteristics: first, worry-free charging, providing one-click services, with visible charging station status and intelligent guidance. Second, disturbance-free charging, with super silent charging processes and no interruptions. Third, carefree charging, with vehicle-pile cloud coordination, protection against electromagnetic interference, and ensuring personal health and property safety. AC charging piles have two major flaws: the inability to interact with the power grid except for unidirectional energy supplement, and the lack of digitalized interconnection between vehicle and charging piles resulting in information exchange. Compared to traditional AC charging piles, low-power DC solutions can better achieve vehicle-grid interaction and digitalized experience, bringing three main values: faster charging, not restricted by onboard charger power limitations, increasing charging speeds by 3-5 times; long-term evolution, supporting plug-and-charge, point settlement, vehicle-to-grid functions, etc.; massive deployment, achieving 3 times coverage under the same power conditions, increasing 50% of grid power utilization.
5. Analysis of Charging Pile's Demand Satisfaction Ability
The national new energy development plan clearly states that private slow charging is the development trend and should account for over 90%. Currently, the development of private piles is slightly slow, severely impacting the popularization of electric vehicles.
According to surveys, the satisfaction of private charging pile users in terms of adequacy, reasonable layout, charging prices, accurate settlement, etc., is higher than that of other surveyed users.
Private piles are privately owned by vehicle owners, meeting the needs for home charging, usually installed with the vehicle, with a large customer base and essential for basic charging infrastructure.
From January to October 2024, there were 4.8 million pure electric passenger cars sold in China, with 670,000 new public piles and 2.62 million private piles built. In terms of the retail scale of pure electric passenger cars in China, if the ratio of public charging piles to private piles is considered as 1:1, then the vehicle to pile ratio is 1.46:1, and the charging pile ratio is relatively sufficient. This highlights the specific nature of plug-in hybrids, where there are few charging requirements. This gives rise to the Shanghai model, characterized by only burning fuel without the need for charging.
However, if the utilization rate of public piles is three times that of private piles, forming a 3:1 relationship, then the ratio of charging infrastructure to pure electric vehicle sales reaches 1.04, basically a 1:1 relationship. Due to the surge in public pile installations, the overall increment of vehicle-pile ratio has reached a relatively reasonable level.