Photo: Courtesy of State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company

"Thanks to the power line upgrade project, I finally have my own charging post and will feel at ease driving my electric car around during the May Day holidays." With a private charging post in the underground garage, Ge Yu, a new energy vehicle (NEV) owner living in the Yongning Yayuan Community in Changzhou, will no longer worry about charging since purchasing his car.

In recent years, with consumers’ surging interest in NEVs, the demand for supporting charging facilities has continued to grow. Issues such as the difficulty of installing charging posts for NEVs in residential communities, inconsistent pricing, and challenges in implementing safety standards have become increasingly prominent.

In this context, since May 2023, the State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company has collaborated with relevant departments, including the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau of Changzhou, Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureaus in all districts, various communities, and property management companies to clarify responsibilities regarding line laying, project investment, charging fees, and public satisfaction. Efforts have been made to upgrade the charging infrastructure in underground garages powered by dedicated transformers and to relocate the meter boxes of public transformers to underground garages, comprehensively enhancing the charging experience for community residents.

Li Dongyang, Key Account Manager at the Urban Power Supply Service Center of State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company, said, "Following field research in communities facing charging challenges, we selected three pilot communities to undergo upgrades in their underground garages, focusing on three aspects respectively: changing the power supply model from dedicated transformers to public transformers, increasing the capacity of dedicated transformers and installing meters for charging posts, and relocating the meter boxes of charging posts powered by public transformers to underground garages."

There are 659 parking places in the underground garages of the Yongning Yayuan Community, initially powered by private transformers. However, the capacity is insufficient to meet the needs of residents to install private charging posts. After upgrading the power supply facilities, the community's underground garages, previously powered by dedicated transformers, began to rely on public transformers, with charging post meter boxes reserved in advance. Each parking place has been equipped with a charging post, and residents can enjoy peak-valley electricity tariffs when charging.

"Previously, I could only charge at nearby public charging posts, which was inconvenient and costly — over 1 yuan per kilowatt-hour plus parking fees. Now, with charging posts in the garage, I no longer need to drive out, and nighttime charging is far cheaper, at just over 0.3 yuan per kilowatt-hour," said Ge Yu excitedly.

It has been reported that the pilot project was completed in early April, benefiting more than 3,000 households, with 26 households having successfully installed charging posts thus far.