[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.
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.
Employees work on a production line for charging piles in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, in June. [XIE SHANGGUO/FOR CHINA DAILY]
Zhang pointed out challenges in exporting charging pile products, such as policy restrictions similar to those for electric vehicles. Additionally, the need for localized services poses challenges, given the dispersed customer base.