Currently, China’s charging pile ownership ranks first in the world. As of the end of 2020, China’s new energy vehicle ownership reached 4.92 million units, and number of charging piles amounted to 1.68 million units.
[XIE SHANGGUO/FOR CHINA DAILY] Global interest in homegrown charging piles for new energy vehicles has ballooned as China cements its leading position in the global NEV market with exports set to almost double this year, experts and industry executives said.
Overseas charging piles of the same power are priced several times higher than those in China. For instance, a 120 kilowatts DC charging pile overseas costs around 464,000 yuan ($64,000), significantly more than the 30,000 to 50,000 yuan price range in China, according to a report of Industrial Securities.
Under this background, government of each county fastens planning and construction of charging piles. Based on IEA’s statistics, number of EV charging infrastructures worldwide in 2020 amounted to 9.5 million units, including 2.5 million units public ones.
Chinese charging pile companies have advantages in the supply chain, technology innovation and cost, leading to high demand in overseas markets, industry experts said. With emissions regulations tightening, the transition to vehicle electrification is unstoppable worldwide.
Data of China's largest cross-board e-commerce platform, Alibaba, shows that in the first week of March 2023, overseas demand for charging piles on its international platform rose by 218 percent compared to 2022. In response, Alibaba set up a dedicated section for charging piles, with 295 domestic companies joining.