Four departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission ("NDRC"), have recently released the Action Plan for Enhancing the Capacity to Ensure the Charging of New Energy Vehicles (the "Plan").
The Plan sets goals of taking three years to greatly raise the level of charging technologies, boost the product quality of charging facilities, accelerate improving the system of charging standards, fully optimize the distribution of charging facilities, significantly increase the connectivity between charging networks, rapidly update the quality of charging operation services, and further optimize the development environment for charging infrastructure and the industry layout. To achieve this end, the Plan schedules key tasks in six respects, including "boosting the technical quality of charging facilities", "improving the operating efficiency of charging facilities" and "optimizing the planning and layout of charging facilities". According to the Plan, active efforts will be made, among others, to activate "zombie charging devices" (referring to those left idle and unused), provide charging devices that are scientifically commensurate to the number of electric cars according to service scenarios, and practically increase the use efficiency and service capacity of charging facilities. Also, efforts will continue to explore the application of battery replacement modes for electric cars used in certain market sectors, such as the taxi industry and the car rental industry.