Driven by the concept of green and low-carbon consumption, new energy vehicles have ushered in a consumption boom. However, whenever the advantages and disadvantages of fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles are debated, people are always willing to label pure electric new energy vehicles as "urban transportation tools". Even if various new energy vehicle advertisements claim that the battery range of their models has reached 300-700 kilometers, there is still a big gap between reality and ideal.

It is foreseeable that limited by the existing battery technology, in the short term, it is difficult to have a breakthrough power battery technology can be put into commercial mass production and applied to the power supply of new energy vehicles. Then, how to improve and break through in the design and layout of charging piles has become the key to the current new energy vehicles running out of the "urban circle".

Where exactly does "charging anxiety" come from

On August 16, at 1 p.m., the scorching sun was scorching, and in the State Grid Jinan Yingxian Street charging and swapping station, almost full of new energy vehicles coming to charge. Mr. Miao, the ride-hailing driver, parked the car, stood in front of the charging pile, and skillfully operated it. He said, "You can charge it by scanning the code with a special APP, and it takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to fully charge." I usually charge once at noon and once in the middle of the night, and the electricity in these two periods is more than eight cents per kWh, which will be cheaper, so there are more cars. ”

Compared with oil prices, charging is undoubtedly more cost-effective, but driving a new energy network ride-hailing car is indispensable to charge twice a day. "My car has a cruising range of about 410 kilometers, and from morning to noon, I still have 60% of the battery left, in case I receive a remote order in the afternoon, it will be troublesome if the battery is not enough. And the more I charge to the back, the slower, at noon I came to charge until about 90% and left. Mr. Miao said that he has also driven through highways and traveled as far as Hebei. It's a little worried about running long distances, it's good that I have been at high speed, and I can find charging piles in the service area. Once off the high speed, there is no guarantee that it can be charged in time. ”

In terms of driving experience, as a new energy vehicle owner, Cheng Qin was indeed pleasantly surprised. As an associate professor at the School of Automotive Engineering of Shandong Jiaotong University, he also studied the charging problems faced by new energy vehicles in practice. "At present, there is basically no situation that charging piles cannot be found in first-tier cities, and the problem is whether the process of finding piles and charging is convenient. I have a lot of apps installed in my phone, and if I need to charge, it is very troublesome to start from registration. ”

The imperfect operation system of the public pile, the relatively slow charging speed, and the increased anxiety of electricity consumption are undoubtedly the major factors that cause charging difficulties. In terms of public behavior, Cheng Qin believes that "fuel vehicle owners occupy the parking space of charging piles, new energy vehicles do not drive away quickly after charging, and the damage rate of charging piles is too high, which further affects the experience of users with charging needs." ”

The development of new energy vehicles is the general trend, but the construction of charging piles still cannot match

Due to green environmental protection and reduced carbon emissions, new energy vehicles have become a new favorite in the market. Public data shows that in the first half of 2022, China's new energy vehicle ownership exceeded the 10 million mark, accounting for 3.23% of the total number of vehicles. In the first half of 2022, 2.209 million new energy vehicles were newly registered, an increase of 1.106 million units compared with the number of new registrations in the first half of last year, a year-on-year increase of more than 1 times, and a record high.

With the huge increase in the number of new energy vehicles, the construction of new energy charging infrastructure is also closely followed. According to the latest statistics from the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance (China Charging Alliance), as of July 2022, the number of public charging piles was 1.575 million units, a year-on-year increase of 65.7%, closely following the growth rate of new energy vehicle sales.

For Shandong, by the end of 2021, the number of new energy vehicles in the province reached 733,800, a year-on-year increase of 45.68%, and the number of charging piles in the province reached 117,600 units. Cheng Qin analyzed that the current ratio of vehicle piles in Shandong is greater than the national average of 3:1. "This is actually an opportunity, in the new energy vehicle charging pile construction industry, the future market prospects of Shandong are very broad."

In July 2022, the Energy Bureau of Shandong Province released the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Shandong Province and the White Paper on the Development of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Shandong Province (2021). According to the plan, by 2025, the number of public and private charging and swapping stations in Shandong Province will reach more than 8,000, the charging infrastructure will reach more than 150,000 units, and the personal charging infrastructure will reach more than 250,000 units.

Equipped with charging piles in the high-speed service area is an important part of ensuring the owner's long journey

Generally speaking, according to the classification methods such as charging current form, charging speed and slow charging, and use objects, the charging piles of new energy vehicles can be divided into four categories, including public fast charging piles, public slow charging piles, private slow charging piles, and self-flying wire charging.

"Public fast charging piles are used in highways, public charging parking lots and other places, the construction cost is very high, generally provide DC charging, charging power is generally above 60KW, charging speed is fast, the price is high." The public slow charging pile is used in public charging parking lots, institutions, enterprise units, the construction cost is relatively low, generally speaking, AC charging, the power is generally in 7KW, more convenient, the price is relatively cheap. Private slow charging pile is a private charging pile installed by the manufacturer when the owner buys a car, and the installation and electricity costs are relatively low. Cheng Qin introduced to reporters.

It is worth mentioning that in the construction of public charging infrastructure, high-speed service areas are an important part of ensuring the smooth travel of people. "At present, the three highways under our jurisdiction are equipped with a total of 6 service areas and 2 parking areas, of which Judan Expressway Juye and Shan County service area charging piles have been put into operation, and a single area can meet the charging of 4 vehicles at the same time." Quan Wei, director of the Shandong Regional Operation Management Department of China Energy Construction Gezhouba Investment Company, introduced, "The charging stations configured in the Judan high-speed service area can be allowed to access the capacity according to the 630kVA box-type high-voltage transformer, and are equipped with 120kW integrated double-gun DC chargers, with an input voltage of 380V, an output voltage between 200V-750V, and a maximum current of 400A. ”

According to the capacity configuration of mainstream new energy vehicles in the market, the charging station in the Judan high-speed service area can charge more than 80% in about 40 minutes. "The owner can complete the charging independently according to the on-site charging operation method and status instructions. At present, there is no contradiction due to charging queues, etc., and it can basically be charged on the go to meet the needs of car owners. Quanwei said that the construction of charging stations in the highway service area under its jurisdiction is expected to achieve full coverage in 2023, providing higher quality travel services for Shandong people.

Expert advice: Coordinate the construction of charging platforms and shared private piles to meet the daily travel needs of car owners

Under the premise of a steady increase in the number of charging piles, Cheng Qin believes that the construction of charging platforms and shared private piles can maximize the utilization of resources within a low-cost range, and can effectively alleviate the charging difficulties of new energy vehicle owners. "At present, there are insufficient power capacity, shortage of fixed parking spaces, and damage to safety and fire protection facilities in old communities, which makes the installation of charging piles difficult."

In response to the above problems, Cheng Qin also gave his own suggestions. "On the one hand, the property can build a dedicated (only for community vehicles) charging pile in the community public carport, and at the same time, the relevant platform can transform the private charging pile around the old community into a shared private pile to meet the charging needs of community owners."

Building a larger number of charging piles is only the first step to solve the difficulty of charging new energy vehicles. How to maximize the utilization rate of charging piles through fine management and careful maintenance; How to make the charging pile compatible with the fast charging protocol of various brands of new energy vehicles through policy guidance and national standard formulation... These are all problems that need to be solved to make the experience of new energy vehicles consistent with that of fuel vehicles.

Cheng Qin said that in recent years, in accordance with the principle of "adapting measures to local conditions, fast and slow mutual assistance, economic reasonableness, and moderate advance", Shandong Province has continuously optimized the top-level design, increased policy support, improved the charging facility system, and improved the level of charging services, effectively ensuring the stable, efficient and rapid development of the new energy vehicle industry in the province. As an important part of energy supply on the road, the construction of charging piles has never been an isolated existence. "The development of new energy intelligent networked vehicles is comprehensively coordinated from the perspectives of vehicles, roads, networks, clouds and maps, and it is believed that under the overall planning, linkage of various departments and multi-platform coordination, Shandong's new energy vehicles and even intelligent driving vehicles can develop towards a healthy and rapid trend."