Beijing to build electric car charging network

Want China Times, Xinhua 2014-06-28

An electric car charging station in Beijing. (File photo/Xinhua)

Beijing plans to establish 10,000 public charging spots for electric cars by 2017, the municipal government announced on Friday.

The charging facilities will be installed in airports and train stations, public parking lots, mall and supermarket parking lots, highway rest areas, electric car stores and gas stations, according to an electric car promotion plan published by Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission.

Zhang Jihong, deputy head of the commission, said that a network of charging devices for electric cars will be established within the fifth ring road of the city.

According to the plan, Beijing also plans to introduce private charging facilities.

The Chinese government has been encouraging consumers to buy electric vehicles as one of the solutions to the country's pollution problems, but the plan has been hindered by a bottleneck in the country's charging infrastructure.