Update | Tesla charged up for an electric performance in China
Electric car maker to ramp up charging infrastructure in its largest and fastest growing market
Charging infrastructure will no longer be a hindrance for Tesla vehicle owners as the company plans to ramp up charging infrastructure in China, its largest and fastest growing market, according to a top official.
“I am quite happy to say that charging is no longer a roadblock for most of our [Tesla drivers] in China,” said Robin Ren, Tesla’s vice president for the Asia-Pacific region.
“Today you can drive all the way from Harbin, a city in the north, to Shenzhen which is located in the southernmost part of China with a Tesla car by using our supercharging network,” he said. There are currently about 100 supercharging stations in China, with about 400 superchargers in total.
Industry analysts said lack of charging infrastructure was the biggest impediment for Tesla’s continued growth in China.
Apart from the supercharger network, Ren said the company is working closely with utility companies on a plan that allows Tesla car owners to install electric chargers at homes and parking lots. The plan has achieved a success rate of 80 per cent, he said, adding that Tesla has installed over 1,400 destination chargers at shopping malls, office buildings and hotels. These units allow drivers to charge their vehicles while they are out and about at popular spots in the cities.
Tesla has come a long way in China from when it first entered the market two years ago. At a technology conference in Beijing in April, Ren said China is now the company’s second largest market behind the US in terms of Model S orders. The Model 3 is Tesla’s affordable, mass-market electric vehicle with an estimated cost price of about US$35,000.