In depth analysis of the electric vehicle charging pile industry!
Release Date:2017-02-14 Source: View count:569
According to the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in 2016, China produced 517000 new energy vehicles and sold 507000, an increase of 51.7% and 53.0% respectively compared to the same period last year. Among them, the production and sales of pure electric vehicles reached 417000 and 409000 respectively, an increase of 63.9% and 65.1% compared to the same period last year.
In fact, with the rapid development of the electric vehicle industry, it is of great significance to adjust the structure of the entire industry chain, alleviate environmental protection pressure, and achieve healthy and sustainable socio-economic development.
However, the lack of charging stations has become a major practical problem for the rapid development of China's electric vehicle industry. The lack of infrastructure, coupled with rapidly increasing new demand, may also make charging piles the most certain "cake" in the electric vehicle industry chain. The National Energy Administration has planned for the first time to add 800000 charging stations in 2017, including 700000 dedicated stations and 100000 public stations.
On February 24, 2016, Premier Li Keqiang presided over a State Council executive meeting and successively issued five important measures to support the new energy vehicle industry. Promote the development of related industries by supervising and improving policies such as financial subsidies, and encourage capital to enter the construction and operation of charging stations. According to the planning documents of the National Development and Reform Commission, by 2020, China will add over 12000 centralized charging and swapping stations and over 4.8 million decentralized charging piles to meet the charging needs of 5 million electric vehicles nationwide.
However, as of the end of 2016, only 150000 public electric vehicle charging stations had been built in China, and the huge difference in quantity indicates that the development of new energy vehicles and the configuration of charging stations are not yet in place; On the other hand, it also indicates the huge opportunities in the market. Some people estimate that this will be a market worth billions of yuan.
A large number of enterprises swarmed in, including power supply enterprises and power equipment manufacturers, Internet disruptors, and automobile manufacturers. Some of them produce, sell, and build charging stations, some build platforms, and use apps to provide car owners with functions such as finding stations, navigation, booking, and payment, and some have both.
But no matter how restless the industry is, the market is cruel. Only by adhering to a scientifically correct business model can the electric vehicle industry develop, and innovative business models are eagerly awaited by industry insiders.
In 2015, social capital crazily entered the market, and people thought that charging piles were a business and could be a new user entry point with high frequency, high demand, and a large user base. They thought it was an excellent user scenario, but objectively speaking, are all operators investing in charging facilities really profitable? "Wang Zhenfei, CEO of the charging network, once made such a statement to the media.
The real situation is that charging operators are generally losing money.
The cost of building a charging station (including cables and land use) is over 10000 yuan, which is only a one-time investment in the early stage. The main cost for operators lies in the management and maintenance after the construction of charging stations. Given the low utilization rate of existing charging stations, charging service fees are a drop in the bucket for operators, making losses the "norm" for the entire industry.
Cao Hongbin, Vice President of China Putian Information Industry Co., Ltd. and General Manager of Putian New Energy Co., Ltd., reminded that "an emerging industry is most easily knocked down when it first sees the dawn, and the disorderly competition is a fatal blow to the entire charging facility operation industry
There are currently three mainstream international charging station operation models, namely government led, grid enterprise led, and automobile manufacturer led charging station operation models.
The government led charging station operation model represents countries such as Japan and the United States. As the main investor in electric vehicle charging stations, the government organizes car manufacturers, power suppliers, and equipment suppliers to jointly participate in the construction and operation of charging stations. This model is suitable for the early stage of electric vehicle development, as investment demand increases and government burden increases, it will be difficult to maintain. The charging pile operation mode dominated by power grid enterprises, that is, power grid enterprises act as the investment subject of electric vehicle charging piles, responsible for the construction and operation of charging piles, and the charging facilities have a commercial nature. This mode is suitable for the stage of large-scale commercial operation of electric vehicles, where demand and investment are relatively stable. The charging station operation model led by automobile manufacturers, that is, automobile manufacturers invest in and build their own charging stations, is adopted by many automobile manufacturers such as Tesla and Toyota. This model is suitable for stages where infrastructure construction is good and the conditions for commercial operation of electric vehicles are mature.
China is still in the early stage of electric vehicle development, with incomplete infrastructure for charging stations, gradually establishing relevant standards, and immature market development. In the early stage of industry construction, the construction of charging piles was mainly led by State Grid Corporation of China. Through ten years of cultivation of charging and swapping technology and investment in facilities, a total investment of 22 billion yuan was made to build 4906 DC high-power charging and swapping power stations, 44000 charging piles, and cover 14000 kilometers of highways. And create an innovative service platform, establish State Grid Electric Vehicle Company, and implement professional management. Open intelligent, interactive, and efficient electric vehicle networking platform, with a total of over 100000 charging stations connected, including 44000 self operated charging stations and 63000 social charging stations.
According to the person in charge of the State Grid Electric Vehicle Company, the State Grid Internet of Vehicles platform enables electric vehicle users to enjoy O2O through the Internet through the construction of three Internet of Things, namely, pile grid, Internet of Vehicles and smart grid, and finally realizes charging green electricity, which is more convenient than refueling, making electric vehicles the preferred way for residents to travel.
In 2014, the construction of charging stations opened its doors to private capital and introduced social investment to participate in the construction of electric vehicle charging and swapping facilities.
With the rapid influx of capital markets, there are currently more than 300 companies involved in the construction and operation of charging piles, some of which are taking a light asset route, such as only providing charging pile location services and appointment payment functions, or providing charging pile operation management platforms and solutions; The other part follows the heavy asset route, such as the production and sales of charging stations.
Charging station operators generally believe that if they want to achieve profitability, they should do so in two years. But in fact, many values have become clearer with the development of capital markets and the drive of "Internet plus".
According to industry insiders' analysis, based on the development goal of 5 million new energy vehicles by 2020, the profit margin of the charging network will reach 55.8 billion yuan, of which the value-added profit margin can reach 23.3 billion yuan. With the rapid development of the Internet, the commercial value of the charging pile is not only reflected in the charging business, but also includes advertising, insurance, finance, car sales, 4S value-added services and big data of the automotive industry with the charging pile as the entrance.
Because charging stations are different from traditional gas stations that offer "add and go" services, the charging service time is generally longer than the refueling time, ranging from tens of minutes to several hours, which provides a living space for high value-added services. During the charging period, the charging station can provide services such as car inspection, car maintenance, etc. It can also develop an APP to realize the process of mobile appointment, online payment, on-site charging and maintenance, connecting the entire industry chain from manufacturers, consumers to service providers, and creating a comprehensive service ecosystem. Once there are enough users and data, it is possible to increase profit points and further increase user stickiness by charging advertising fees, customizing charging plans for customers, and charging user surcharges, drawing on the Taobao model, and forming a self growing ecosystem.
From the perspective of the Chinese market, many companies have already started to cooperate in this area, such as Star Charging and the construction of charging piles in hotels, shops, etc., and Dianzhuang Company's layout of charging piles in restaurants such as McDonald's, aiming to combine charging with supporting services.
As the entry point for the Internet of Vehicles and smart grid, the potential value of the charging pile operation industry cannot be underestimated, especially in the current era where the concepts of smart cities and smart communities are becoming increasingly close. Charging piles will even be given multiple identities such as "data collectors" and "data analysts". It can be said that the development prospects of charging station operation are immeasurable, and this also requires enterprises to have innovative business models to adapt to it.
Perhaps foreign practices are worth learning from.
The development of electric vehicles in Germany largely relies on the Carsharing car sharing model, where the streets are filled with various cars available for driving, and registered members can use their credit cards to drive away, charging by the minute. Renting a car is like buying a mobile package, with a dazzling array of price combinations.
Because it is cheap and cool enough, many car companies choose this approach to launch electric vehicles as a marketing tool. One of them is the rapidly growing E-Cars sharing company, which was jointly established by BMW and another well-known car rental company, SIXT.
BMW offers a wide range of car models and excellent driving experience, while SIXT is responsible for designing service systems and market public relations based on years of rental experience. Of course, the most important thing is that the two companies have reached a consensus on cooperation with the power grid company in the construction and charging of charging piles, leveraging their strong industry influence.
Through this combination, people can clearly realize that the operation of charging stations indeed requires more powerful and diverse resources to support. Learning from the strengths of various companies, flexibly stimulating customer demand, and providing more invisible services is a very important business cooperation model for electric vehicles in the initial development stage.
The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly stated that technological innovation is the strategic support for enhancing the comprehensive revolution of social productivity and must be placed at the core level of national development. Our country is transitioning from Made in China to Created in China, moving from passive focus in the past to innovation leadership in the future. As an emerging industry, charging and swapping services are in a new era of integrating new forms of innovation and disruptive innovation development. The industry is facing new challenges and opportunities.
Explore diversified service modes, combine Internet technology, provide more convenient self-service electric vehicle charging piles, make good use of the surrounding business districts, units, parking lots and other resources, build a charging network service system, and achieve network service extension. The market prospect of charging piles will be more promising.
According to the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in 2016, China produced 517000 new energy vehicles and sold 507000, an increase of 51.7% and 53.0% respectively compared to the same period last year. Among them, the production and sales of pure electric vehicles reached 417000 and 409000 respectively, an increase of 63.9% and 65.1% compared to the same period last year.
In fact, with the rapid development of the electric vehicle industry, it is of great significance to adjust the structure of the entire industry chain, alleviate environmental protection pressure, and achieve healthy and sustainable socio-economic development.
However, the lack of charging stations has become a major practical problem for the rapid development of China's electric vehicle industry. The lack of infrastructure, coupled with rapidly increasing new demand, may also make charging piles the most certain "cake" in the electric vehicle industry chain. The National Energy Administration has planned for the first time to add 800000 charging stations in 2017, including 700000 dedicated stations and 100000 public stations.
On February 24, 2016, Premier Li Keqiang presided over a State Council executive meeting and successively issued five important measures to support the new energy vehicle industry. Promote the development of related industries by supervising and improving policies such as financial subsidies, and encourage capital to enter the construction and operation of charging stations. According to the planning documents of the National Development and Reform Commission, by 2020, China will add over 12000 centralized charging and swapping stations and over 4.8 million decentralized charging piles to meet the charging needs of 5 million electric vehicles nationwide.
However, as of the end of 2016, only 150000 public electric vehicle charging stations had been built in China, and the huge difference in quantity indicates that the development of new energy vehicles and the configuration of charging stations are not yet in place; On the other hand, it also indicates the huge opportunities in the market. Some people estimate that this will be a market worth billions of yuan.
A large number of enterprises swarmed in, including power supply enterprises and power equipment manufacturers, Internet disruptors, and automobile manufacturers. Some of them produce, sell, and build charging stations, some build platforms, and use apps to provide car owners with functions such as finding stations, navigation, booking, and payment, and some have both.
But no matter how restless the industry is, the market is cruel. Only by adhering to a scientifically correct business model can the electric vehicle industry develop, and innovative business models are eagerly awaited by industry insiders.
In 2015, social capital crazily entered the market, and people thought that charging piles were a business and could be a new user entry point with high frequency, high demand, and a large user base. They thought it was an excellent user scenario, but objectively speaking, are all operators investing in charging facilities really profitable? "Wang Zhenfei, CEO of the charging network, once made such a statement to the media.
The real situation is that charging operators are generally losing money.
The cost of building a charging station (including cables and land use) is over 10000 yuan, which is only a one-time investment in the early stage. The main cost for operators lies in the management and maintenance after the construction of charging stations. Given the low utilization rate of existing charging stations, charging service fees are a drop in the bucket for operators, making losses the "norm" for the entire industry.
Cao Hongbin, Vice President of China Putian Information Industry Co., Ltd. and General Manager of Putian New Energy Co., Ltd., reminded that "an emerging industry is most easily knocked down when it first sees the dawn, and the disorderly competition is a fatal blow to the entire charging facility operation industry
There are currently three mainstream international charging station operation models, namely government led, grid enterprise led, and automobile manufacturer led charging station operation models.
The government led charging station operation model represents countries such as Japan and the United States. As the main investor in electric vehicle charging stations, the government organizes car manufacturers, power suppliers, and equipment suppliers to jointly participate in the construction and operation of charging stations. This model is suitable for the early stage of electric vehicle development, as investment demand increases and government burden increases, it will be difficult to maintain. The charging pile operation mode dominated by power grid enterprises, that is, power grid enterprises act as the investment subject of electric vehicle charging piles, responsible for the construction and operation of charging piles, and the charging facilities have a commercial nature. This mode is suitable for the stage of large-scale commercial operation of electric vehicles, where demand and investment are relatively stable. The charging station operation model led by automobile manufacturers, that is, automobile manufacturers invest in and build their own charging stations, is adopted by many automobile manufacturers such as Tesla and Toyota. This model is suitable for stages where infrastructure construction is good and the conditions for commercial operation of electric vehicles are mature.
China is still in the early stage of electric vehicle development, with incomplete infrastructure for charging stations, gradually establishing relevant standards, and immature market development. In the early stage of industry construction, the construction of charging piles was mainly led by State Grid Corporation of China. Through ten years of cultivation of charging and swapping technology and investment in facilities, a total investment of 22 billion yuan was made to build 4906 DC high-power charging and swapping power stations, 44000 charging piles, and cover 14000 kilometers of highways. And create an innovative service platform, establish State Grid Electric Vehicle Company, and implement professional management. Open intelligent, interactive, and efficient electric vehicle networking platform, with a total of over 100000 charging stations connected, including 44000 self operated charging stations and 63000 social charging stations.
According to the person in charge of the State Grid Electric Vehicle Company, the State Grid Internet of Vehicles platform enables electric vehicle users to enjoy O2O through the Internet through the construction of three Internet of Things, namely, pile grid, Internet of Vehicles and smart grid, and finally realizes charging green electricity, which is more convenient than refueling, making electric vehicles the preferred way for residents to travel.
In 2014, the construction of charging stations opened its doors to private capital and introduced social investment to participate in the construction of electric vehicle charging and swapping facilities.
With the rapid influx of capital markets, there are currently more than 300 companies involved in the construction and operation of charging piles, some of which are taking a light asset route, such as only providing charging pile location services and appointment payment functions, or providing charging pile operation management platforms and solutions; The other part follows the heavy asset route, such as the production and sales of charging stations.
Charging station operators generally believe that if they want to achieve profitability, they should do so in two years. But in fact, many values have become clearer with the development of capital markets and the drive of "Internet plus".
According to industry insiders' analysis, based on the development goal of 5 million new energy vehicles by 2020, the profit margin of the charging network will reach 55.8 billion yuan, of which the value-added profit margin can reach 23.3 billion yuan. With the rapid development of the Internet, the commercial value of the charging pile is not only reflected in the charging business, but also includes advertising, insurance, finance, car sales, 4S value-added services and big data of the automotive industry with the charging pile as the entrance.
Because charging stations are different from traditional gas stations that offer "add and go" services, the charging service time is generally longer than the refueling time, ranging from tens of minutes to several hours, which provides a living space for high value-added services. During the charging period, the charging station can provide services such as car inspection, car maintenance, etc. It can also develop an APP to realize the process of mobile appointment, online payment, on-site charging and maintenance, connecting the entire industry chain from manufacturers, consumers to service providers, and creating a comprehensive service ecosystem. Once there are enough users and data, it is possible to increase profit points and further increase user stickiness by charging advertising fees, customizing charging plans for customers, and charging user surcharges, drawing on the Taobao model, and forming a self growing ecosystem.
From the perspective of the Chinese market, many companies have already started to cooperate in this area, such as Star Charging and the construction of charging piles in hotels, shops, etc., and Dianzhuang Company's layout of charging piles in restaurants such as McDonald's, aiming to combine charging with supporting services.
As the entry point for the Internet of Vehicles and smart grid, the potential value of the charging pile operation industry cannot be underestimated, especially in the current era where the concepts of smart cities and smart communities are becoming increasingly close. Charging piles will even be given multiple identities such as "data collectors" and "data analysts". It can be said that the development prospects of charging station operation are immeasurable, and this also requires enterprises to have innovative business models to adapt to it.
Perhaps foreign practices are worth learning from.
The development of electric vehicles in Germany largely relies on the Carsharing car sharing model, where the streets are filled with various cars available for driving, and registered members can use their credit cards to drive away, charging by the minute. Renting a car is like buying a mobile package, with a dazzling array of price combinations.
Because it is cheap and cool enough, many car companies choose this approach to launch electric vehicles as a marketing tool. One of them is the rapidly growing E-Cars sharing company, which was jointly established by BMW and another well-known car rental company, SIXT.
BMW offers a wide range of car models and excellent driving experience, while SIXT is responsible for designing service systems and market public relations based on years of rental experience. Of course, the most important thing is that the two companies have reached a consensus on cooperation with the power grid company in the construction and charging of charging piles, leveraging their strong industry influence.
Through this combination, people can clearly realize that the operation of charging stations indeed requires more powerful and diverse resources to support. Learning from the strengths of various companies, flexibly stimulating customer demand, and providing more invisible services is a very important business cooperation model for electric vehicles in the initial development stage.
The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly stated that technological innovation is the strategic support for enhancing the comprehensive revolution of social productivity and must be placed at the core level of national development. Our country is transitioning from Made in China to Created in China, moving from passive focus in the past to innovation leadership in the future. As an emerging industry, charging and swapping services are in a new era of integrating new forms of innovation and disruptive innovation development. The industry is facing new challenges and opportunities.
Explore diversified service modes, combine Internet technology, provide more convenient self-service electric vehicle charging piles, make good use of the surrounding business districts, units, parking lots and other resources, build a charging network service system, and achieve network service extension. The market prospect of charging piles will be more promising.
