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Text: Wang Jingyi, Zhai Fangxue
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In Zhejiang, the temperature at noon is nearly below zero, and there is still a drizzle. At the new energy vehicle charging station at the entrance of Wangxian Village in Jiangnan, several new energy vehicles are quietly parked in front of a row of charging piles.
Photo/Wang Jingyi
"The tram does save money. Mr. Wang's family already has two electric cars, one is the Dongfeng Honda Siming X-NV, which he uses to run online car-hailing, and the other is the newly purchased Leap C01, which his wife drives as a family car.
In Mr. Wang's words, since he drove the tram, the family's oil truck has not been used for a long time. The contrast is indeed stark, the original car at home is a Ford Mondeo, the fuel consumption is 13L/100km, and it costs hundreds of dollars to refuel once. So, the family sold the dusty Mondeo and bought an electric car made in Zhejiang.
According to the statistics of the Charging and Swapping Branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, from 2022 to 2023, the penetration rate of electric vehicles in rural areas will increase from 4% to 17%, although there is still a large distance from the 40% of first-tier cities, but the increase is significant.
There are more and more charging piles, and car owners no longer have to worry about finding a place to charge, and the difficulty of invisibility still exists. At the charging station at the entrance of the village, as soon as he saw Caijing Automobile (ID: caijingqiche) approaching, the owner of the car, Uncle Qin, couldn't help complaining.
"This pile is too troublesome, you young people are okay, we old people really don't need to understand, and we have to scan the code and download and charge money, and even if it's good, I found that the pile is bad. "Uncle Qin bought a BYD Qin car, he arrived at the charging station at 11 o'clock, and charged it at 11:30.
Photo/Wang Jingyi
Tong Zongqi, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers Charging and Swapping Branch and China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance, said at the 2023 China Automobile Charging and Swapping Ecological Conference that in the construction, operation and maintenance links, there are still problems in the construction of insufficient public charging infrastructure, difficulty in the installation and sharing of charging facilities in residential communities, and prominent contradictions between supply and demand in different periods.
To truly let new energy vehicles enter the countryside, in the eyes of consumers, the model should be cost-effective, the charging infrastructure should be perfect, the after-sales maintenance should be convenient, and the three mountains should be crossed.
Photo/Wang Jingyi
01 Endurance, battery life, or battery life
Xiao Zhang, who lives in Genhe, Inner Mongolia, bought a Hyundai fuel car two years ago. When asked why he didn't choose to buy new energy vehicles, he blurted out: "Genhe basically can't see a green card, too few and too little." ”
Xiao Zhang said to Caijing Automobile (ID: caijingqiche) that first, the climate of Genhe is cold, and the temperature often plummets, which has a great impact on the endurance of the tram, engine starting, electronic control stability, etc.;
Figure/Network
Endurance, or battery life, this is the biggest concern of consumers when buying new energy vehicles.
The quality of early new energy vehicles is not good, there are many problems, and frequent repairs are required. Many rural consumers' cognition of new energy vehicles is still in the era of lead-acid batteries, and there are still negative stereotypes about new energy vehicles such as "the battery of electric vehicles is easy to catch fire".
According to the "Rural Electrification Survey Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") released by the China Electric Vehicle 100 Association, rural residents' demand for the driving range of family cars is at least 200km or more. In terms of charging infrastructure, safety is considered the most important factor due to the good conditions for private pile construction in rural areas, followed by charging speed and price.
Despite the continuous advancement of battery technology – car companies have built pure electric vehicles with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, which is longer than a single tank of fuel for a gasoline vehicle – consumer concerns have always lingered, especially in towns and villages.
The advancement of the battery itself is one thing, and the charging infrastructure is the more important dimension. The fuel tank of fuel vehicles is generally 50 liters, and a full tank of fuel can only support the car to run more than 600 kilometers, but no one has ever worried about the mileage of fuel vehicles, because gas stations are everywhere, and it only takes three or five minutes to fill up the fuel.
The construction of more and more charging piles has become the key to solving consumers' range anxiety and promoting new energy vehicles in rural areas.
Figure/Network
In May 2023, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration issued the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Charging Infrastructure and Better Supporting the Rural Revitalization of New Energy Vehicles" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), clearly proposing to accelerate the construction of rural charging infrastructure. Subsequently, various provinces and cities have also introduced supporting policies to accelerate the promotion of charging piles.
According to Jiang Linjun of China Electric Power Research Institute, in 2023, relevant national ministries and commissions have issued 14 policies for the construction of electric vehicle charging facilities and new energy in the countryside, which is unprecedented.
For example, Zhejiang announced that by 2025, the province will build more than 2.3 million charging piles, and no less than 900,000 in rural areas, to meet the charging needs of more than 4 million new energy vehicles. At present, the vehicle-to-pile ratio in Zhejiang is about 1.56:1, and by 2025, the vehicle-to-pile ratio in Zhejiang Province will be reduced to 1.5:1.
"Affected by factors such as not many applicable models, poor circulation channels, and insufficient publicity, the huge consumption potential of the rural market has not been effectively released. Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out that in 2022, the sales of new energy vehicles in rural areas in China accounted for only 4% of the total sales of vehicles in rural areas, far below the overall level of 25.6% of the industry.
02 There is a big difference between the north and the south
The countryside in the north seems to have become a "wasteland" for new energy vehicles to go to the countryside.
Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia is the world's largest prefecture-level city, in addition to having a vast area, it also has an ultra-long snow period of 8 months a year, among which the county-level city of Genhe is known as "China's cold pole" with an ultra-low temperature of minus 58 degrees Celsius.
In Genhe, private car owners must have a separate garage equipped with heating to prevent damage to the car in the cold. In winter, many private car owners even "warm" their cars into the garage and take taxis to commute.
"There are people in Genhe who drive hybrids, but no one drives pure electric vehicles. A Genhe taxi master who drove Chang'an told Caijing Auto (ID: caijingqiche) that Genhe basically can't see a green plate, too little too little, and it is estimated that the tram in Genhe will be able to drive for half a year, and the remaining half a year will be placed in the garage.
Figure/Network
The warm south is the base camp of new energy vehicles.
In Fuyang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Caijing Auto (ID: caijingqiche) saw that there are many new energy vehicles on the road, and taxis are basically hung with green plates, and there are brands such as GAC Aion. Among private cars, brands such as Tesla, NIO, and Li that cost more than 200,000 yuan are also quite common.
Online car-hailing drivers have become pioneers in the promotion of new energy vehicles in rural areas.
Mr. Wang has become a loyal fan of new energy vehicles since he bought a pure electric model to run online car-hailing, first of all, he is fuel-efficient, and usually uses the charging pile at home to charge, "equivalent to no money";
He believes that at the same price, the experience of new energy vehicles is better than that of fuel vehicles, and under his proposition, household fuel vehicles have also been replaced with pure electric vehicles.
Under his influence, many relatives around him also bought electric cars, one relative previously drove a BBA, and recently bought a Tesla Model Y for nearly 300,000 yuan, because "I think it's cool and has a sense of technology."
It can be seen with the naked eye that the models used to run online car-hailing in rural areas have gradually been replaced by new energy vehicles. The same is to run 500 kilometers, add a tank of fuel for 400 yuan, charging as long as less than 100 yuan, this is an account that anyone can calculate.
Even with the unique climate advantages, there is still room for improvement in the south of the new energy vehicles.
Traditional fuel vehicles generally have 4S stores or dealer channels in the county, while new energy vehicles often adopt online booking and direct sales models, which are relatively troublesome for rural residents to buy cars and after-sales.
Mr. Wang told Caijing Auto (ID: caijingqiche) that in Fuyang, there are almost no special 4S stores of new energy vehicle companies, only collection stores similar to supermarket stores, involving finance, insurance, second-hand cars, after-sales, maintenance and other businesses, or have to go to the nearby city of Hangzhou.
Figure/Network
According to statistics, the number of cars in the country is 3.18 trillion, 140 million in rural areas, and the market penetration rate of pure electric vehicles in rural areas is only 17%, which is lower than the national level, and there is still potential to be tapped.
03 I went to the countryside, and then
The completion of the charging pile is not the end, who is responsible for regular maintenance and operation, so that the charging process is as easy as refueling, is still a detail that plagues new energy vehicle owners.
At the new energy vehicle charging station at the entrance of Wangxian Village in Jiangnan, Mr. Li, the owner of the car, made a difficulty. At this open-air site, he braved the rain, got out of the car and walked to the charging pile, operated it with his mobile phone, and waited for 120 seconds according to the display on the screen, only waiting for the prompt that the machine could not be used normally.
Photo/Wang Jingyi
After a few minutes of rain, Mr. Li could only drive the car to another charging pile and repeat the process. But unfortunately, the second idle pile is also bad. He lamented to Caijing Auto (ID: caijingqiche) that it is estimated that the empty piles are all bad, and the good piles have been occupied.
Mr. Li decided not to try again, so he sat back in his car and began to search for other charging stations nearby. After ten minutes of rain and no charge, he drove away in disappointment. Luckily, there was another big charging station 5 minutes away and he went there to try his luck.
Photo/Wang Jingyi
The devil is hidden in the details - for charging, operation and construction are equally important, and for new energy vehicles to go to the countryside, it is equally important to promote and find suitable models to go to the countryside.
In 2023, the No. 1 document of the central government proposed to "encourage qualified areas to carry out new energy vehicles to the countryside", and the executive meeting of the State Council on May 5 also clearly proposed to "deploy and accelerate the construction of charging infrastructure to better support new energy vehicles to the countryside and rural revitalization".
"At present, there are still relatively few models suitable for rural areas. Jiang Linjun said that the economic conditions and climate and environment between the countryside have a large difference, the eastern region is more economically developed, urban and rural ties are close, the demand for private cars, agricultural vehicles, and freight vehicles is larger, while the western region is relatively low in income, the demand for agricultural vehicles is larger, which puts forward differentiated requirements for new energy vehicles in the countryside.
What kind of cars are more popular with rural residents?
According to the report, farmers are willing to buy electric vehicles, with a budget of 50,000 yuan, and have the consumption level to buy economic cars. There are several major considerations for buying a car, including good economy, more fashionable, eliminating the inconvenience of refueling, and environmental protection and energy saving, etc., and you want to take into account multiple uses such as agriculture or business.
Price is still the deciding factor. Jiang Linjun pointed out that for example, the approximate price of micro electric vehicles is 35,000 to 70,000 yuan, but such a price is not very competitive compared with the price of old scooters below 10,000 yuan.
As for small cars, SUVs, and compact models, the price is in the range of 6-200,000 yuan, and the price range of electric light trucks and pickup trucks is 12-280,000 yuan.
Although refueling is cheaper than refueling, the maintenance and after-sales links of new energy vehicles are still restricted, especially once the battery is damaged, the replacement cost is extremely high, which has also become an invisible cost for new energy vehicles to go to the countryside.
"Trams are still more expensive than petrol cars, and trams are more expensive to repair. Uncle Qin said to Caijing Automobile (ID: caijingqiche) that his car was bought early, and there have been several small problems, and the maintenance fee has cost 20,000 or 30,000 yuan.
04 Agricultural electric transport vehicles are still blank
Meng Wei, spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission, said that China's rural new energy vehicle market is still in its infancy, with relatively low total ownership, insufficient charging infrastructure, insufficient supply of economic and practical models, and insufficient sales and service capabilities, all of which restrict the promotion and use of new energy vehicles.
For rural areas, automobiles are not necessary for life, and the market for agricultural machinery and agricultural electric transport vehicles as means of production is still blank.
Figure/Network
Xiao Feng of Juye County, Heze, Shandong Province, told Caijing Automobile (ID: caijingqiche) that his family uses agricultural three-wheeled fuel trucks and electric tricycles, and new energy agricultural machinery is not popular.
Xiao Feng observed that the people around him did not use new energy large-scale agricultural machinery for the time being, mainly fuel-based. Although he hopes that new energy agricultural machinery will be popularized, it faces problems such as high price, insufficient power, high maintenance costs or maintenance difficulties.
Xiao Liu's family, located in Yucheng, Dezhou, Shandong Province, does not use new energy agricultural machinery, but his reason is that he already has fuel agricultural machinery and does not need to buy the same type of new energy agricultural machinery.
Hulunbuir's Xiaolin family uses diesel agricultural machinery, which includes tractors (for traction), loaders, seeders (traction), windcutters, harvesters, sprayers and other categories. The reason why the Kobayashi family does not use new energy agricultural machinery is very simple, that is, it is expensive.
But Kobayashi believes: "If the price is reasonable, the purchase of new energy agricultural machinery = can save costs." Now the cost of fuel agricultural machinery is about 2,800 yuan a day, and I hope that the state can have a large subsidy. ”
According to the statistics of the report, the current rural users are not very aware of the situation of electric transport vehicles, but more than half of the respondents have the willingness to buy, and the cost of buying a car is less than 50,000 yuan.
From the perspective of environmental protection, agricultural diesel vehicles with large emissions, second-hand vehicles with excessive emissions, etc., have large consumption and serious pollution, which has an impact on energy conservation and emission reduction. If we promote new energy agricultural machinery and electric transport vehicles that meet the needs of the countryside, it is also of great practical significance to improve the energy conservation and emission reduction of rural transportation.
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At the same time, there is room for the electrification of commercial vehicles and logistics vehicles. Rural logistics does not have high requirements for the endurance of new energy trucks, and the existing battery technology can basically meet the needs, mainly affected by price factors, including purchase costs and use costs, which limit the purchase willingness of rural consumers.
The "Opinions" clearly put forward that new energy vehicle companies are encouraged to optimize the configuration through differentiated strategies according to the characteristics of consumers in rural areas, and develop more economical and practical models, especially new energy cargo micro-faces, micro trucks, light trucks and other products;
The industry generally believes that if there are more and more new cars, more and more consumers are willing to accept them. Supply should be ahead of consumption, prices are low, cars are good, and consumption is naturally high.
China's new energy vehicles have gradually swept the city, there is a set of successful templates to follow, if you want to go into the township, do a good job in the current construction, operation, success seems to be only a matter of time,