In Wuyi county under the prefecture-level city of Jinhua in East China's Zhejiang province, the 450,000 local residents are pushing for green driving to win cleaner air, by expanding new energy vehicles.

But the expansion is posing a problem for NEV drivers — the lack of sufficient charging poles. The county development and reform bureau said as the key supporting infrastructure for NEVs, charging stations are a must in expansion, as the dozens of local charging stations are not enough for demand.

It said the county will establish a dedicated team and design a special plan for bolstering NEV charging stations, with a focus on establishing more of these stations in residential areas and commercial scenic spots.

It also wanted to lure private capital to explore a sustainable business model, by building a shared intelligent platform and urban public charging network through digital means.

To boost the initiative, the Wuyi county branch of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power sent technical staffers on Jan 4 to start the first examination on the operations of a charging station in Biyun Mansion Community.

Jointly built by State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power and the Property Owners Committee of Biyun Mansion Community, the charging station is the first unified construction and operation business in Wuyi county, said Xu Ruoting, a staffer from the local branch of the State Grid.

With eight charging facilities, the charging station has a total operating capacity of 270 kVA (kilovolt-ampere), providing electric vehicle charging and swapping services for some 428 homeowners in the residential area.

Meanwhile, it can also afford services for over 1,400 homeowners in surrounding residential communities such as Wanlong City and Hengxing Famous Mansion, she said.

She noted that State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power will continue to respond to the requirements of the county government and the local charging needs, by increasing investment in building more charging piles in Wuyi, and helping create a convenient, safe and green travel environment.

In 2023, Zhejiang issued an action plan for the 2023-2025 period aimed at improving charging infrastructure network and promoting NEVs in rural areas in the province.

Zhou Xiangjun, deputy secretary general of Zhejiang provincial government, said by the end of June in 2023, the province has built 9,691 charging and swapping power stations of various types and 93,320 charging piles, ranking third in the country, and realizing its construction goal for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) ahead of schedule.

By 2025, more than 2.3 million charging stations will be constructed in the province, with no less than 900,000 in rural areas, to meet the charging needs of over 4 million NEVs in Zhejiang, he said.