In modern industry and commerce, one million kWh of electricity per year is not much. However, in the charging domain, the number is of great significance.
More than one year after Huawei launched its FusionCharge Solution, multiple stations in China achieved an annual energy charge of one million kWh. One of the benchmark stations is the SuperChargers fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging station in Baguocheng, Chongqing, which began operations in November 2023.
If each electric vehicle (EV) needs an average of 30 to 40 kWh of energy per charge, then the station should have served over 30,000 vehicles in the year. However, the actual number of vehicles served is much higher.
Few drivers will wait to charge their vehicles until the battery state of charge (SOC) drops below 20%. In addition, of the many EVs on the road, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) far outnumber battery electric vehicles (BEVs). As such, the charging station must have charged well over 30,000 vehicles throughout the year.
What a great achievement! This means a lot, especially for Chongqing, which has ambitious plans to build a convenient ultra-fast charging city.
A City of Ultra-fast Charging Along the Jialing River
Chongqing is the latest city to announce the development of ultra-fast charging. On April 3, 2024, the General Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government issued the Notice on the Action Plan of Convenient Ultra-fast Charging for New Energy Vehicles (2024–2025).
This is the first official document that clarifies Chongqing's ultra-fast charging construction goals. It sets out detailed requirements for the work to be carried out across Chongqing's various sub-districts that include urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.
According to the Notice, by the end of 2025, the city will build more than 2000 ultra-fast charging stations and more than 4000 ultra-fast chargers. By then, the city aims to establish a convenient ultra-fast charging ecosystem with a balanced layout, intelligence, and high efficiency, developing a complete mechanism with advanced technologies to promote collaborative development in Chongqing's EV industry.
The Technical Guide on the Construction of Ultra-fast Charging Infrastructure in Chongqing, released together with the Notice, launched the city's public ultra-fast charging brand, JetCharge. The brand showcases Chongqing's ambition to develop ultra-fast charging.
The SuperChargers fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging station could be considered a prelude to the Notice. The station uses Huawei FusionCharge Solution, which provides up to 600 kW of charging power, bringing the ultimate charging experience to Chongqing's citizens.
SuperChargers ultra-fast charging stations also offer other services beyond charging, including self-service car washes, service stations, and business spaces. The stations are gradually expanding their presence across core business districts, logistics parks, transportation hubs, parks, scenic spots, and residential areas.
Flagship stations, such as the SuperChargers fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging station in Baguocheng, Chongqing, help alleviate range anxiety among vehicle owners and serve as a business model showcase to highlight the advantages of these stations.
Promising Business Viability
Does the business model really work? Let's do some math.
By November 2024, Chongqing SuperChargers Digital Energy Technology CO., Ltd has built and launched more than 60 ultra-fast charging stations. The stations are powered by Huawei Digital Power's leading products and solutions and outperform traditional charging stations by 60% in terms of average daily energy charged.
Let's imagine that there are 1000 stations. If the average daily energy charged by each charging connector is 200 kWh, the annual revenue will reach CNY700 million, without considering other lines of business beyond charging. In fact, for many gas stations, revenue from non-oil sales accounts for 40% or more of the total sales, a model that also applies to ultra-fast charging stations.
It is clear that ultra-fast charging stations are a good business opportunity and are crucial in supporting China's EV industry development.
The increasing availability of ultra-fast charging stations is a key factor in higher EV penetration. The business involves innovations in technologies, high-end manufacturing, consumption scenarios, business models, and eco-cultures. It is becoming an important part of the entire industry ecosystem.
Huawei FusionCharge Solution uses technologies such as ultra-fast charging + fast charging, double tier power pooling, and PV + ESS + charger integration. As such, the new ultra-fast charging stations are highly adaptable to different grid environments, which increases operators' confidence to invest, users' confidence to buy, and manufacturers' confidence to produce high-quality EVs. All of these achieve a promising business model.
A Green City Embraced by Mountains and Waters
"One of the greenest regions in China is Southwest China, and the greenest city in Southwest China is Chongqing." The word "green" refers not only to the color on the map but also to the fact that Chongqing is a city in a green transition.
Apart from environmental and ecological governance, Chongqing is also committed to its green and low-carbon benchmarks. Over the past few years, Chongqing has built 54 national green factories and four green campuses. The output value of local green campuses has increased to 73.1% of the total industrial output, ranking first among low-carbon pilot cities in the central and western regions of China.
Building a city of convenient ultra-fast charging is also an important measure for Chongqing to meet China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. Supported by Huawei Digital Power's products and solutions, the charging stations meet the increasing demand for EV charging and lay a solid foundation for green travel and low-carbon city construction.
Ms. Wang is a regular visitor to the fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging station in Happiness Park, Jiulongpo District. She feels strongly about ultra-fast charging. "It's really convenient! I used to have range anxiety, and I would feel uneasy once the SOC dropped below 50%. But that's history now. My car can go 200 kilometers on a 5-minute charge," she said.
Huawei Digital Power is working with Chongqing SuperChargers to deploy fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging stations across Chongqing. We are building an ultra-fast charging network with the ultimate experience and wide coverage for citizens and tourists, helping Chongqing to become a city of convenient ultra-fast charging.
Chongqing SuperChargers will continue promoting Huawei FusionCharge Solution to build high-quality charging infrastructure. Additionally, as an active member of the ultra-fast charging ecosystem, the company will accelerate its nationwide planning, contributing to the healthy and orderly development of the charging industry.
Ultra-fast chargers can make a significant difference in people's lives. To meet the needs of EV owners for comprehensive and high-quality charging networks, Huawei Digital Power will join forces with vehicle manufacturers, power grids, operators, and partners to build an open, cooperative, and win-win ecosystem that delivers the benefits of ultra-fast charging to more people.
