Source: CCTV
Appearing on CCTV, Carnegie–Tsinghua’s Wang Tao discussed Beijing’s policy to bring five million electric vehicles to Chinese roads by 2020. The government is also introducing incentives to stimulate production and working towards expanding electric vehicle infrastructure, including charging stations, he said. Although these policies have helped increase electric vehicle purchases, Wang explained that most consumers remain concerned about the user experience and personal convenience of using electric vehicles and that there is currently a mismatch between those buying electric vehicles and the policies being introduced by the government. For example, he added, it costs more to purchase a private charging post than the electric vehicle itself and most public charging stations remain in the Beijing suburbs, not in the heart of the city where they are needed.