Power cuts may stifle Chinese demand for electric vehicles as charging stations in parts of the country suspend operations, say analysts
- The temporary suspension of operations at charging stations is likely to put some motorists off switching to a new-energy vehicle, say analysts
- Since last week, the outages have caused some charging stations to shut down during rush hours, leaving some electric cars unable to take to the roads
“In northeast China, electric cars have been greeted with a lukewarm response for many years,” said Zhang Fan, a car insurance broker in Jilin province. “The power cuts could further siphon off buying interest in electricity-powered vehicles.”
Since last week, the power cuts in provinces from Guangdong in the south to Jilin in the northeast have caused some charging stations to suspend their operations during rush hours, leaving some electric cars unable to take to the roads.
Analysts said the outages had resulted from Beijing’s tightening of coal supplies and pressure on local governments to meet energy consumption targets before year-end.
Other provinces grappling with power outages include Henan, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Heilongjiang, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia.