www.chinabuses.org: Beijing-Berlin conference hears plans for needed facilities.More charging poles will be installed in neighborhoods and public areas in Beijing to promote private use of electric vehicles, said participants in the recent Beijing-Berlin E-Mobility Conference.

The capital city plans to have 10,000 fast-charging poles by 2017, mostly at public parking lots, big shopping malls, auto dealers and gas stations, Zhang Jihong, vice-director of the Beijing Science and Technology Commission, said at the conference.

The goal this year is to install 1,000 fast-charging poles, with 300 now in place, he said.

Other facilities with charging outlets such as street lamps and parking garages as well as charging stations using solar power are under development, he said.

Wu Zhixin, vice-president of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, outlined the Sino-German Electric Vehicle Charging Project during the conference.

The program will have government departments, research institutions, automakers and the real estate sector working together to find the best practical approaches to install charging facilities in neighborhoods.

"In some small cities in China where people live in houses and have their own garages, it is easy to establish charging facilities. But in Beijing where most people live in apartments, it is very difficult," Wu said.

"To install charging facilities in neighborhoods requires the cooperation of property management companies and also property owners committees," he said.

"Our goal is to make charging poles standard in the neighborhoods in the capital city just like the supply of water, gas and electricity," he added.

The Beijing-Berlin E-Mobility Conference on May 28 is part of celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of friendship between the two cities.

During the meeting, government officials and industry insiders from both sides showcased the achievements of each city and exchanged views on electric vehicles.

Challenges

"It is a challenging problem," Niu Jinming, director of the Beijing New-Energy Vehicle Development and Promotion Center, said at the conference.

Niu said 6,664 potential e-car buyers have received permission for license plates this year, but how many will make the purchase remains unknown as they have up to six months to make a final decision.

The city government announced that a total of 170,000 license plates will be issued from 2014 to 2017 for new-energy vehicles.

According to a recent report in the 21st Century Business Herald, only 44 customers so far have applied to install charging poles.

Xia Baoshan, executive vice-president of Beijing Association of Automobile Manufacturers, told the newspaper that difficulties in charging pose a major impediment to ownership of electric vehicles in Beijing.

Challenges include lack of parking space in old neighborhoods, limited electricity capacity and potential safety concerns for property management companies, he said.

New regulations

Responding to the challenges, the Beijing municipal government is formulating new plans and regulations with the aim of getting more charging facilities into neighborhoods.

A recent regulation from the Beijing Municipal Committee of Development and Reform and several other governmental departments mandates that property management companies and owner committees support and cooperate the installation of charging facilities in neighborhoods.

The regulation also holds automakers responsible for installation of charging facilities and must offer after-sale services. Also, private buyers will be charged the standard electricity price instead of the more expensive ladder price for charging in their neighborhoods.

According to recent local media reports, another plan that will soon be released by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning will require property developers in Beijing to equip 18 percent of parking lots in new and renovated neighborhoods with charging outlets.

While private market for electric cars is still in its infancy, the vehicles are increasingly used in public transportation in Beijing.

Zhang from the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission said at the conference that by the end of 2013, about 1,600 electric taxies went into operation in the suburban districts of Beijing.

He said that the plan is for all taxis to be electric in 10 suburban districts.

Also, new taxis in downtown Beijing will all be electricity-powered, he said.

More electric buses will hit the road in Beijing too, he added.

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