China Builds EV Charging Stations

In order to pave the way for widespread use of plug-in electric vehicles, China has begun a pilot project to install electric charging stations in many of its major cities, including Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.

According to Xinhua, the government’s official newspaper, each station will cost the U.S. equivalent of $37,000-$44,000, and will serve electric buses and some sedans. During the Olympics, the stations served 55 buses and more than 600 cars. China, which is seeing an explosion in the number of cars on its roads, has a vested interest in moving to EVs as quickly as possible.

The country hopes to have 10,000 fuel-cell, hybrid and electric vehicles on the road in two years with the proper infrastructure to support them in at least 10 cities. The ministry of science and technology wants one in every 10 cars to use alternative fuel in just five years — an ambitious goal by any measure.

According to the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials, no state in the U.S. has yet implemented a program to build EV charging stations. There are similar test programs in Europe.

China Planning Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EcoGeek via Huffington Post)