In the interval waiting for Weilai to change the electricity, the owner of the car, Mr. Chen, went to the convenience store of the Sinopec gas station next door and bought a cup of coffee.
This is already the daily routine of Sinopec gas stations (Chaoying station), and it is also a new consumption scenario under the double carbon target.
Fuel vehicles choose gas stations, new energy vehicles choose charging piles, replacement power stations, if the two collide and mix, what kind of chemical reaction will occur? On April 15 last year, WEILAI and Sinopec joined hands to build the world's first fully intelligent substation - Sinopec Gas Station (Chaoying Station).
A year later, the Beijing News Shell financial reporter revisited the world's first fully intelligent substation, and visited the similar energy chain integrated energy port Daliushu flagship station to understand how the gas station and the replacement power station were mixed and matched this year. How profitable, safe, and how to help the dual-carbon cause and create new consumption scenarios.
Zhang Hong, secretary general of the New Energy Vehicle Branch of the Automobile Circulation Association, said that in the integrated energy supply station, consumers can rest, eat and shop in the gap between energy replenishment and maintenance, and now the general rapid recharge charging time of electric vehicles still takes about 1 hour, this time, in addition to sitting in the car, users can also carry out more leisure and entertainment shopping experience.
Visit: Gas station transformed into a comprehensive energy station
Pictured: On the evening of April 8, at the flagship station of Daliushu, a comprehensive energy port energy chain on Wangsiying Road in Chaoyang District, citizens were filming a night light show composed of 6848 LED holes. In this integrated energy port, consumers can rest, eat, and shop in the gap between refueling, charging, and maintenance, and now the rapid recharge charging time of electric vehicles still takes about 1 hour, and this time, users can also carry out more leisure and entertainment shopping experience. Photo: Beijing News reporter Li Muyi
In April, the spring breeze blows, the willow tree produces new shoots, how can the comprehensive energy station grow new branches on the old tree?
In order to more clearly show the overall picture of the comprehensive energy replenishment station, Shell Financial Reporter visited the flagship station of Daliushu, a comprehensive energy port located in Chaoyang District, and the Sinopec Gas Station (Chaoying Station).
Located on Wangsiying Road in Chaoyang District, the energy chain integrated energy port Daliushu flagship station is large, and the energy station area consists of a gas station and a charging and replacing power station, which are adjacent to each other, and there is also a KFC shuttle restaurant in the middle. In the gas station area, there is also a cheap convenience store, rest area, maintenance car wash area is located here; the charging and replacing power station area is composed of more than 20 charging piles and two substations. At present, part of the construction of the area has been completed, and the final number of charging piles is planned to exceed 30. Nio's charging stations have been put into use, and some charging piles and a replacement power station of Aodong New Energy have not yet been put into operation.
With the cooperation of gas stations, charging and replacing power stations, rest areas and other services, the figures of fuel trucks and electric vehicle drivers are endless. The energy chain told Shell financial reporters that the biggest advantage of the station is the full integration of resources. In this comprehensive refueling station, in addition to providing refueling services for fuel truck drivers and electric vehicle drivers, the station also provides maintenance business and car washing business. Walking into the convenience store, users are buying goods, and some customers are enjoying coffee in the rest area. Shell financial reporter noted that the unit price of products in convenience stores is almost the same as the price of supermarkets, which is more cost-effective.
In the charging area, a ride-hailing driver who came to charge told Shell Financial Reporter that he often "pulled work" near the international trade center, and when it was time to charge in the afternoon and evening, he was willing to come to this area to repair it. "Free parking, charging basically do not queue, the car is charged, people can also go to the convenience store to buy some food, there is a rest area on the side, sit for a while to eat, very comfortable." If you earn more on this day, you can 'upgrade' the consumption at night and order a KFC to bring back to your children. The ride-hailing driver said.
The person in charge of the energy chain introduced to the shell financial reporter that in the era of new energy vehicles, electrification is developing rapidly, and the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in the first quarter of 2022 will reach 20%, and the form of energy replenishment will gradually change. Gas stations are also facing transformation and upgrading. Combining power and refueling is also a means for gas stations to help carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
On April 14, Shell financial reporter came to the Sinopec gas station (Chaoying Station) and saw the gas station cars coming and going, just across a gate, straight ahead is the Weilai power station and charging pile, and the surrounding area is also full of vehicles that come to charge and change electricity.
There is a Weilai is parked on the side waiting for the power exchange, the owner has been buying a car for 4 years, he told the Shell financial reporter that when the replacement power station was just opened, he was also very excited and specially came to experience. "I put the car here, went out to buy a cup of coffee and came back, and the car was replaced with electricity, which was very convenient," the owner said happily.
The concept of building a service area is becoming the goal of cooperation between NIO and Sinopec. Pu Yang, general manager of Weilai Beijing Regional Company, introduced that many cities of Sinopec gas stations are built very grandly, there are even shopping malls next to them, Weilai and Sinopec gas stations cooperate, users can go to shopping malls and buy coffee when charging and changing the power queue, the experience is very good, Weilai and Sinopec can create a service area concept together.
He also said that the cooperation between NIO and Sinopec is of landmark significance to the development of China's intelligent electric vehicle industry, a concrete measure for the two sides to work together to help "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality", and a major innovation in the field of global green intelligent transportation. "Next, we will continue to accelerate the pace of construction, create more convenient energy replenishment scenarios for more users, and contribute to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality."
Gas stations actively embrace electric vehicles to create a new consumption scene for 1 hour, why should companies mix and match?
Pictured: On April 8, Chaoyang District Wangsiying Road Energy Chain Integrated Energy Port Dali willow flagship station, gas station and charging power station are adjacent to each other, Weilai charging and replacing power station has been put into use. Photo: Beijing News reporter Li Muyi
With the increase in the penetration rate of electric vehicles, gas stations are actively embracing electric vehicles.
The reporter learned from Sinopec that in November 2021, the first batch of charging and replacing power stations jointly built by Sinopec and NIO in Guangdong have been officially put into operation, which will promote the development of vehicle electrification in Guangdong Province and help green transportation.
According to Sinopec, the charging and replacing power stations are located at the Shajing Integrated Energy Service Station in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, and the Huangjiang South Station and Huangjiang North Station in the Dongguan section of the Pearl River Delta Ring Expressway. The three charging and replacing power stations can be replaced at a high speed of 20 seconds, and users do not need to get off the car, as long as they can complete the power exchange business through the mobile phone APP, and truly make the power exchange as convenient as refueling. Each station has 13 battery reserves, and the power exchange service can reach 312 times in a single day.
Sinopec is accelerating the transformation into an "oil, gas, hydrogen, electricity non" integrated energy service provider, planning to reach 5,000 charging and replacing power stations by 2025, consolidating the main position of the transportation energy market. The cooperation with NIO will help to play their respective advantages.
Not only that, but this mash-up is also creating new consumption scenarios.
The comprehensive energy station has broadened the boundaries of its own business, and launched a sticky service model under the cooperation of multi-dimensional service providers such as gas station enterprises, charging and substation enterprises, and catering enterprises. One of the most eye-catching links is the "one-hour new consumption scene" created by it.
Pictured: Coffee rest area in the integrated energy harbor, where owners rest while the vehicle is charged, washed or repaired. Photo: Beijing News reporter Li Muyi
From a more long-term perspective, PuYang also mentioned that many car companies will stop production and stop selling fuel vehicles by 2025 and 2030, with the increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, the passenger flow of gas stations will decline, and how these gas stations will be transformed is also a problem.
In this regard, Zhang Xiang, dean of the New Energy Vehicle Technology Research Institute of Jiangxi New Energy Technology Vocational College, told Shell Financial Reporter that with the replacement of fuel vehicles by new energy vehicles, the turnover of gas stations in some places is indeed declining year by year, and the gas station business must be transformed as soon as possible. From the perspective of gas stations, on the one hand, gas stations will accelerate the construction of charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations, and on the other hand, they will also expand more other services on the basis of the original refueling, such as opening convenience stores and convenient car washing.
The mainland gas station construction era is relatively early, there is a first-mover advantage, the geographical location occupied is better, if the gas station and the replacement station cooperation, the site selection will be more appropriate, the new energy owners are more willing to go to the appropriate location of the collection station to change the power charging, Zhang Xiang analysis said, "Some of the replacement power station If the geographical location is not very convenient, the owner may not be willing to choose this replacement power station, the profit will be more difficult, and the cooperation between the two sides can achieve a win-win situation."
Zhang Hong, secretary general of the New Energy Vehicle Branch of the China Automobile Circulation Association, introduced to the shell financial reporter that the current comprehensive service station has been laid out in a number of "energy replenishment" links, in addition to the traditional refueling and electric energy for vehicles, it is also supplementing heat energy for users through food and dining environment, and even providing rest areas and maintenance car wash areas for people and cars, which is a very positive action.
"In the era of electric vehicles, the charging link of most electric vehicles in the mainland still takes 40 minutes to 60 minutes, and if there is a queue, the waiting time will be longer." In addition to "staying up" in the car, the owner can also carry out more service experience in the comprehensive energy station. Zhang Hong analyzed.
At present, in the city center with large construction and population density, the layout of such sites is relatively limited due to land factors. However, on suburban or intercity roads, this form will provide great convenience for B-end online ride-hailing users and long-distance drivers.
Shell financial reporter learned that at present, Aodong New Energy is also trying to layout such businesses. Try to create more rest space and new consumption places for taxi masters.
In terms of profitability, Jiang Yong, CEO of the Energy Chain Chain Business Group, told Shell Financial Reporter: From this stage, the upgrade of gas stations to integrated energy ports can bring new traffic, enhance the experience of car owners, and bring greater benefits. In the long run, the brand upgrade, management upgrade and business model upgrade of the petrol station will bring sustainable competitiveness. Under the background of more and more new energy vehicles and the acceleration of energy structure transformation, this is to build a sustainable competitiveness for the future, and to invest and lay out in advance for the future.
Zhang Xiang said that at present, it is too early to talk about the profitability of the power station, at present, it can only be the layout of the enterprise for long-term consideration, Weilai and Sinopec cooperation, some of the petrochemical gas stations will give the surrounding area to Weilai construction, so as to charge a certain rent to obtain operating income, and the replacement power station can obtain a better geographical location.
From the geographical point of view, at present, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other large cities, new energy vehicle acceptance is higher, the ownership is higher, from this point of view, the gas station business in first-tier cities is more difficult to do, more need to consider the transformation, and the pressure in the central and western cities is not so big.
Zhang Hong also mentioned that there are also some questions to ponder: Does every gas station need to be expanded and transformed into a comprehensive service-oriented energy station? Can Singapore Business Services remain profitable? What is the return on investment? He suggested that market research should be carried out objectively and rationally on the area where the gas station is located, such as analyzing the ownership and proportion of electric vehicles or new energy vehicles in the local area or in the passing car, whether it can support the operation of new commercial service projects. To avoid a rush to the top, commercial services that are supposed to be gradually provided over a longer period of time to come are deployed prematurely and ahead of schedule. Even because of the immediate losses, it will lead to strategic misunderstanding and neglect of the transformation to integrated energy service stations in the future.
"We capture business opportunities from change, and change is opportunity. What we see in change is a problem, and change can only be a challenge full of thorns. Zhang Hong said bluntly that the emergence and development of new energy vehicles is not just as simple as changing the power of motor vehicles, it will bring a series of changes to the circulation and after-sales system. The emergence and development of new energy vehicles is not only a technological revolution, but also an innovation and change in many fields of the whole society, and an innovation and change in services.
Pictured: Scrolling large screens are playing the new concept of integrated energy harbors. The biggest advantage of the station is the full integration of resources. Photo: Beijing News reporter Li Muyi
Need to be vigilant against security risks, Weilai said: sometimes for the sake of security to give up cooperation
The substation and the gas station are so close, is there a safety hazard?
Pu Yang said that in fact, Weilai has very strict standards for the location of the substation, and the second generation of THE NIO substation has a wealth of sensors that can detect smoke and temperature, for example, even if you run into a mouse, the substation can be detected, not to mention the safety of vehicles.
For safety issues, he (PuYang) told shell financial reporters that Weilai also pays great attention to site selection when cooperating with Sinopec, and some gas stations occupy a relatively small area, and gas stations and replacement power stations cannot be distanced, which does not meet safety standards, so there is no cooperation.
In terms of safety, Jiang Yong said bluntly: There are many types of energy chain integrated energy port business, including refueling, charging, power exchange, after-the-car, catering, convenience stores, etc., the work surface is large, and the safety risks are complex and diverse. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a sound systematic safety management system to control the security risks of each business without dead ends. The energy chain is in accordance with the "five-in-one" approach to safety management, including the establishment of safety management systems and standards; strengthen risk identification and control mechanisms; third, clarify job responsibilities and strengthen safety education and training.
Beijing News shell financial reporter Bai Haotian Lin Zi Editor Yue Caizhou Proofreader Chen Diyan