Fleet of Chinese EVs complete cross-country trip

A fleet of eight Chinese electric vehicles arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, finishing a ten-day 3200-kilometer trip across the nation.

The project was initiated by the State Grid Electric Vehicle Service Co and China Southern Power Grid's unit in Guangzhou. They aim to popularize intercity EV trips among consumers and reduce concerns over sufficient power for cruising.

The motorcade, led by China's EV company Nio Inc, set off on Sept 10 from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to the capital city.

Que Shifeng, deputy general manager of State Grid Electric Vehicle Service Co, said the company has long been ramping up efforts to fully utilize China's current and growing EV fleet.

The company will explore various ways to facilitate electric mobility in the future, Que said at the closing ceremony.

Industry data shows there are more than 1.7 million EVs registered in China as of the first half of this year. The country plans to produce one million such vehicles annually by 2020, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to continuously improve charging networks nationwide to make them smart, efficient and flexible, said Su Zhipeng, marketing director of Guangzhou Power Supply Co, a unit of China Southern Power Grid.

Su said the company is developing technical standards to optimize its charging stations to serve the EV drivers.

More joint efforts from different parties are needed to ensure almost all EVs can be recharged at all stations, said Shen Fei, vice-present of Nio.