Charging infrastructure is the driving force for the rapid development of new energy vehicles. Since the 13th Five Year Plan, the number of new energy vehicles in China has grown rapidly, posing new requirements for the high-quality development of charging infrastructure. At present, there are still shortcomings in the construction of charging infrastructure and service supply, among which the most prominent problem is the difficulty of charging stations entering residential areas.

Research has found that the difficulty of charging stations entering residential areas is mainly due to insufficient hardware elements such as parking space supply and power grid support. At the same time, property management companies do not cooperate due to unclear responsibilities, high safety risks, and multiple conflicts and disputes. Suggest adapting to local conditions to tap into potential and strengthening facility construction and renovation; Clarify responsibilities and prevent risks, and solve the worries of property management in the future; Improve mechanism innovation models and promote win-win cooperation among all parties.

The charging station service point opened in Xinjing Village, Beixinjing Street, Shanghai. By the end of 2023, this street will achieve full coverage of electric vehicle public charging stations, making it the first 'community shared charging station demonstration street' in the city.

Building a charging infrastructure system, charging piles entering residential areas is a challenge

At present, the construction scale of charging piles in residential areas is lower than expected. Residential areas are the most important scenario for charging new energy vehicles. In recent years, the country has issued relevant documents to promote the construction of charging piles in residential areas. However, overall, the construction of charging piles in residential areas is still in the 'low-speed and slow running' stage.

In 2023, the sales of new energy vehicles in China reached 8.292 million units, a year-on-year increase of 33.5%; 2.458 million new private charging stations were built, a year-on-year increase of 26.6%, which is nearly 7 percentage points lower than the growth rate of new energy vehicle sales.

The survey report on the consumption of new energy electric vehicles and the use of public charging stations released by the China Consumers Association shows that new energy vehicle users who are unable to install private charging stations are mainly concentrated in first and second tier cities, accounting for 71.6%. Taking Beijing as an example, as of the end of 2023, there were over 3.5 million residential parking spaces in the city, and about 250000 parking spaces were equipped with private charging stations, with a charging stop to construction ratio of only 7%.

Residents have strongly expressed their lack of cooperation with the property management. As of the end of 2023, the number of new energy vehicles in China has reached 20.41 million. According to comprehensive consumer surveys, 12345 hotline feedback, and online public opinion surveys, the issue of difficulty in accessing charging stations in residential areas has received widespread attention, with particularly prominent opinions on property management's lack of cooperation.

In the first half of 2023, the number of complaints from netizens on the leadership message board of People's Daily about property management refusing to install charging stations showed an overall upward trend. A netizen from Tianjin said, 'This year, in response to the national new energy policy, we purchased new energy vehicles and applied to the State Grid for the installation of charging piles. We need the property management to provide a construction certificate and stamp it. After multiple communications with the property management, they have clearly stated that they refuse to provide the certificate and cannot stamp it.'

Inadequate hardware elements: limited number of parking spaces, limited power grid support constraints

The limitations of hardware elements are an important cause of contradictions. Firstly, the parking spaces themselves are very limited, and the overall supply of parking spaces in Chinese residential areas is tightening. Taking Beijing as an example, from the perspective of existing parking resources in residential areas, the parking space allocation index was only 0.1 per household from 1994 to 2003, and the allocation index was 0.3-0.5 per household from 2003 to 2015. The project manager of a property in Beijing reported that there are over 7000 homeowners and only 1850 parking spaces in a residential area under the company's jurisdiction in Shijingshan. From the perspective of incremental parking resources in residential areas, the quota for parking space allocation has increased to 0.3-1.3 per household since 2015, and the number of property owned parking spaces in residential areas in the city has increased by approximately 10-2000 per year; If 100% of the newly added parking spaces are equipped with charging stations, about 70% -80% of the annual target of 70000 new energy small buses will still be unable to access private charging station services.

Secondly, there are also constraints on the support of the power grid. According to research, the average household distribution capacity in the planning and construction of residential areas in Beijing is about 10kW. However, the suitable AC slow charging pile power for residential construction is 7kW. In addition to meeting the daily electricity needs of residents, the reserved distribution capacity is 'inherently insufficient', which restricts the construction of charging piles and requires capacity expansion and renovation of power facilities.

According to the ownership of property rights, power supply in residential areas can be divided into two categories: direct power supply from the power grid and high-voltage self-management (owned by power facilities or property owners). The upgrading and renovation of power facilities in communities with direct power supply from the power grid can be the responsibility of the power grid enterprise, but high-voltage self managed communities require investment from property management or property owners.

According to a rough estimate by the power department, the investment amount for upgrading and renovating transformers and related lines in old residential areas exceeds 500000 yuan. The high cost of upgrading and renovating power facilities hinders the installation and construction of charging piles.

Property management unwilling to participate: unclear responsibilities, high maintenance risks, lack of coordination mechanisms

In addition to insufficient hardware, it is difficult for the community to form a positive mechanism, which also makes the property management unwilling to participate.

Firstly, the responsibility is unclear and the property management is unwilling to take action. The content of the property service contract signed between the property management and the owner mainly refers to relevant documents such as the Property Management Regulations issued by the State Council in 2003. On the one hand, the relevant documents do not make clear requirements for whether the property has the responsibility of constructing, operating, and maintaining charging piles. It is difficult to include all obligations of the property in the service contract, so the property believes that undertaking charging pile related services is not within the scope of work. On the other hand, property management is responsible for the operation and management of private charging stations in the community, which requires raising property fees or signing professional service contracts with owners, but owners have a lower willingness to pay; The utilization rate of public charging stations in residential areas is only 4%, with a relatively low level of income. Property management cannot obtain effective benefits by participating in operation and management through sharing, resulting in a general lack of enthusiasm.

Secondly, there is a high safety risk, and the property management is hesitant to do so. On the one hand, the professional requirements for the operation and management of charging piles are high, and property related service personnel can only carry out inspections, cleaning and other work, lacking professional abilities to judge whether the charging piles are operating normally and whether the electrical equipment is safe. On the other hand, the safety responsibility of charging stations involves multiple aspects such as new energy vehicle users, property management, equipment manufacturers, and operating enterprises. However, property management often becomes the first responsible unit for bearing community safety risks. The project manager of a certain property in Beijing reported that there were accidents such as spontaneous combustion and fire at the charging piles in the community. The fire department first imposed a fine of 300000 yuan on the property, which increased the workload and did not generate any related income. On the contrary, there was a risk of being fined.

Finally, there are many conflicts and disputes, and the property management will not handle them. There is a lack of effective coordination mechanism in the construction and operation of charging piles within the community. Some street offices and properties can effectively promote the resolution of related problems through party building guidance, but most grassroots management institutions do not have a construction process guide that can be relied on. On the one hand, the construction of public charging stations in public areas of residential areas requires more than two-thirds of the owners to participate in the vote, and more than three-quarters of the owners must agree, but it is difficult for the owners to reach a consensus. At the same time, charging piles involve multiple aspects such as electricity and property management, and the construction of installation and installation is relatively complex. The mechanism for handling complaints from owners and departments has not yet been established, making it difficult to timely solve the obstacles and problems encountered by all parties during the installation and construction process. On the other hand, conflicts and disputes are complex. There are a series of complex issues in the parking spaces where charging piles have been built in the community, such as disturbing residents with charging piles and transformers, occupying spaces for gasoline vehicles, two wheeled and three wheeled vehicles, and occupying spaces after the charging of new energy vehicles, which may lead to disputes.

Multiple parties need to collaborate to fill the gaps in the construction of charging infrastructure in residential areas

Firstly, it is necessary to tailor measures to local conditions and tap into potential, and strengthen facility construction and renovation.

One is to strengthen facility construction. Include 100% construction of charging piles or reserved installation conditions for fixed parking spaces in newly built residential areas that meet the requirements of direct meter installation and power connection in the Residential Project Specification, as a prerequisite clause for project acceptance in new residential areas, and strictly supervise the planning, approval, and completion acceptance of new residential projects.

Old residential areas with fixed parking space conditions should accelerate the installation of charging piles, and those with public parking space conditions should prioritize the layout of public charging piles; For those who do not have the conditions for parking spaces, it is necessary to deeply explore the public parking lots, roadside parking spaces, office buildings, commercial buildings and other parking resources around the community, and increase the supply of public charging piles in combination with the work of overhead line grounding and pole rectification, street lamp pole construction, etc.

The second is to improve the service level. Encourage private charging station owners to manage the authorization of shared users within the community through adding whitelists and other means. Encourage private charging station owners to entrust charging operators with intelligent charging management and open sharing, and explore the management mode of property participation in open sharing of community charging stations through market-oriented means.

By comprehensively analyzing the number, distribution, and operation of new energy vehicles in the region, a reasonable layout plan for public charging stations near the community is formulated. Drawing on the practical experience of 'unified construction and unified service' in Beijing, a user experience is gradually provided with a distance of no more than 500 meters for finding stations, a service fee of no more than 0.5 yuan, and a queuing time of no more than 5 minutes.

The third is to do a good job in supporting power grid construction and power supply services. Power grid enterprises should incorporate the construction of charging stations in residential areas into urban power grid planning, reasonably reserve high-voltage and high-power charging guarantee capabilities, and gradually promote 'three zero' and 'three province' service measures. It is recommended that the state-owned asset management department and the pricing department study and refine policies to relax investment efficiency constraints on the construction of distribution networks related to power grid enterprises, and fully include the recovery of transmission and distribution electricity prices. Strengthen the coordination of support policies related to the upgrading and renovation of power facilities in high-voltage self managed residential areas and the renovation of old residential areas. Suggest the finance department to study the subsidy and support mechanism for the upgrading and renovation of power facilities in high-voltage self managed residential areas.

Secondly, in terms of mechanisms, responsibilities should be clarified, risks should be prevented, and concerns about property management should be addressed.

One is to clarify property related responsibilities. It is recommended that the property management department update the 'List of Residential Community Property Service Projects' in a timely manner, include charging pile related services in the scope of property services, include charging pile installation and maintenance work in the property assessment and evaluation system, and gradually increase the assessment weight; Research and establish a property reward mechanism to enhance service enthusiasm.

The second is to effectively prevent security risks. Strengthen the product quality and safety responsibilities of automobile, battery, and charging facility production enterprises, and strictly control the quality and safety of construction, design, construction, and supervision units during the construction and installation process. Owners of charging stations, property management, street offices, after-sales maintenance units, etc. should strengthen the safety management of charging facilities and promptly identify and eliminate safety hazards.

The third is to improve the risk sharing and compensation mechanism. It is recommended that the fire department formulate detailed rules for the fire inspection and accident identification of charging piles in residential areas, clarifying the scope of responsibility of new energy vehicle users, property management, equipment manufacturers, operators and other relevant parties. The insurance regulatory authorities should encourage insurance institutions to develop and promote charging pile product liability insurance and safety liability insurance that are suitable in price and reasonable in coverage for individual users. They should purchase them according to the principle of 'whoever owns, who purchases', comprehensively apply risk compensation policies, and alleviate risk concerns from all parties. Encourage car companies to give users a certain period of charging safety liability insurance as a gift.

Finally, it is necessary to improve the mechanism innovation model and promote win-win cooperation among all parties.

One is to accelerate the development of management guidelines for the construction of charging piles in residential areas. Local and municipal governments should, in accordance with the relevant requirements of the Guiding Opinions on Further Building a High Quality Charging Infrastructure System issued by the General Office of the State Council, accelerate the preparation of clear management rules or methods for the construction of charging piles in residential areas. Referring to the 'Management Measures for the Construction of Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities in Residential Areas of Shanghai', it is proposed that owners can inform the property management in writing of the installation of private charging piles. After receiving the written notice, the property management should cooperate with relevant departments to carry out construction work; The construction of public charging stations in residential areas can be approved by the owners' meeting or the authorized business committee.

The second is to establish a one-stop coordination and complaint handling mechanism involving multiple units. The departments of development and reform, housing construction, housing management, fire protection, etc. should work closely in accordance with their respective responsibilities to guide and promote the construction of charging piles in residential areas. They should explore the establishment of a platform for reporting the installation of private charging piles in residential areas, and provide real-time feedback on the approval status and process progress of each unit. Street offices, residents committees, and other grassroots management institutions should provide guidance and supervision to the owners' committees and properties, and provide backup services and management to some communities without owners' committees or properties. The street office and residents committee should work together with the property management to resolve conflicts and disputes that arise during the construction of charging piles in the community.

The third is to pilot and demonstrate advanced models. Encourage power grid enterprises, charging operation enterprises, or property management to accept the commission of property owners, comprehensively consider the overall charging needs of the community, provide unified construction, operation, maintenance and other services, and improve the safety management level of charging piles. Drawing on the experience of the 'Smart Community' demonstration project in Sichuan Province, we will accelerate the promotion, construction, and upgrading of intelligent and orderly charging piles. By adjusting timing, power, and other methods, we will reasonably schedule the charging capacity of the community to meet its charging needs. Timely promote the pilot demonstration of vehicle network interaction within the community, explore the implementation path of new energy vehicles participating in the electricity spot market, and study and improve the trading and scheduling mechanism of new energy vehicle consumption and storage of green electricity.

Fu Bi'an, Assistant Researcher at the Energy Research Institute of China Institute of Macroeconomics

(This article is from The Paper. For more original information, please download the 'The Paper' app.)