Chinese-Made EV Owners Struggle for Power During Lunar New Year

A large amount of snow covers vehicles and roads on the streets of Yantai, Shandong province on Dec. 16, 2023. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Chinese EV owners found themselves in an awkward situation over the Lunar New Year holidays. “Dozens of EVs scrambling for a single charging station” and “the EV lost power five meters away from charging stations” became hot topics on Chinese social media on Feb. 9.

Numerous EVs were queued up for a charging station at the Dasheng Service Area in Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, in a video shared on Feb. 8. A driver from the neighboring province, Guangdong, expressed dismay for being unable to recharge as soon as he exited Guangdong.

The video showed dozens of EVs were queued up at the charging station, with some drivers attempting to cut the line, further intensifying the disorder.

Similar scenarios have previously played out. An automobile blogger shared videos showing Chinese EV drivers engaging in physical altercations over competition for charging stations.

Numerous netizens commented: “Excuse me, but are EVs still ‘in’?” “Sure, EVs save on gasoline, but save no hassle!” “Chinese-made EVs appear to be surplus goods, quite subpar.”

A Chinese financial media JRJ reported on Feb. 9 the multiple reasons for the lack of charging stations in China: While government subsidies have spurred rapid growth in the market for new EVs, the infrastructure for charging has lagged. Moreover, regional discrepancies exist in charging facility construction, with severe shortages in certain areas unable to meet demand. Furthermore, challenges like slow charging speeds and limited recharge mileage also impede the widespread adoption of EVs.

According to the report, China’s inventory of new EVs surpassed 17 million by 2023, marking a remarkable 117 percent growth compared to the previous year. Nonetheless, the public charging infrastructure lags far behind, with an average of just one charging station for every 7 electric vehicles, leaving EV owners with charging predicaments in service areas lacking adequate charging facilities.

The Motionless EV

“For owners of new electric vehicles, the most agonizing distance in the world is spotting a charging station, but unable to charge,” according to Chinese media mydrivers.com on Feb. 8.

According to the report, EV driver Li Mengyao embarked on a journey on Feb. 1 from Shenzhen to Wuhan for the Lunar New Year. Rain and snow extended the time it took for her trip. Throughout the journey, she had to recharge her vehicle six times. When she finally reached Hubei on Feb. 3, Ms. Li’s vehicle skidded and got stuck just 16 feet away from the charging station at noon.

The report noted that it wasn’t due to the vehicle running out of power.

At midnight, a gas car also got stuck and the driver attempted to assist Ms. Li by pushing her vehicle, but their efforts were futile. Both owners were left with no choice but to wait in place for warmth. Meanwhile, two more new EVs arrived, only to find themselves also unable to move forward due to slippery conditions.

It wasn’t until daybreak that they managed to borrow a shovel from a nearby supermarket to extricate themselves from the situation.

Expressing her frustration, Ms. Li exclaimed, “This is just too unfortunate!”

Readers’ views varied. Numerous netizens have voiced concerns about the quality of Chinese-made EVs. Others believe that snowstorms were primarily to blame for the challenges faced by EVs.

Fang Xiao contributed to this report.