August 25, 2022

China Shuts Down Some EV Chargers As They Face An Energy Crisis


China’s power crisis is beginning to affect electric car owners with automakers including Tesla having to suspend the operation of some of its charging facilities. This scenario could foreshadow possible issues a country could face if they adopt EVs quickly, but don’t think about beefing up their electrical grid and/or power supply.

Local Chinese media (via Bloomberg) reports that user apps show charging stations are down in Chengdu in Sichuan province—where the nation’s worst drought since the 1960s has slashed hydropower generation at the same time a punishing heatwave has sent electricity demand surging—and the nearby city of Chongqing.

Chinese car brand, Nio posted temporary notices on its app’s charging map page informing owners that some of its Chengdu battery-swapping stations are “offline” because of the “severe overload on the grid under the persisting high temperatures.”

Meanwhile, Tesla turned off or restricted services at more than a dozen super-charging stations in the two cities, leaving just two still in operation and only during the night as of August 17, the local media reported.

The power cuts in Sichuan have added to the woes of manufacturers including Toyota Motor Corp. and battery producer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., which have had to shut factories.

Teld New Energy, which operates around 300,000 charging pylons nationwide, is asking drivers to check if the services are online before setting out, because local power authorities have requested a shutdown of some facilities. The company is also offering preferential rates for users who charge late at night or early in the morning to avoid the peak time for power demand.

In the meantime, Nio is calling for users in Sichuan to share their home chargers until September 20, while some drivers are trading their fully-charged batteries for almost-dead ones at swapping stations to help fellow owners.

1 comment:

  1. It would be hard for all consumers to go all out with only battery electric vehicles. There should still be a lot of options, depending on what the consumers need and want.

    ReplyDelete

Feel free to comment or share your views. Comments that are derogatory and/or spam will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to moderate and/or remove comments.