The Wall Street Journal just released an article about Elon Musk’s newest conquest. Supposedly he is going to China sometime in the next month to talk with executives from Chinese energy company, Sinopec (SNP). Tesla recently released the Model S in Beijing with a “attractive price” spurring Tesla’s fame on social media sites in China. So Musks plan is to build a network of charging stations located at gas stations run by Sinopec. These stations would begin in Beijing and idealy spread throughout China and possibly all of Asia. With China’s recent push towards cleaner, more environmentally friendly cars, Tesla may experience success in their market. Tesla is expected to begin deliveries of the Model S to China this month.
See my earlier note that the parking space of upper-end housing in China come with electrical outlets. What I saw was their use for electric scooters [gas-powered motorcycles are verboten on the streets of Shanghai], but they can certainly be adapted for BEVs. Charging stations thus may be largely redundant while neverthless serving as good PR outlets.
The Chinese market presents its own set of attractive opportunities for a company like Tesla. The areas where Tesla would enter the market in China would undoubtedly be large urban areas, where the consumers with enough affluence to purchase a luxury vehicle would never drive outside of the driving range of a Tesla. Further, the Chinese government has made it clear that it intends to step up its environmental concerns and is looking to support alternative energy automobiles. Also, it would not require a substantial capital investment in charging infrastructure due to the concentrated nature of the geographic setting (perhaps even the government would lend aid of some kind in building the infrastructure). The Chinese government has unbelievable power, and if it so chooses to back and push Tesla vehicles, then their adoption will take place.