With the proposal of China's "carbon peak and carbon neutrality" development goals, the rapid growth of new energy vehicles has brought huge demand to the charging infrastructure industry. At the same time, in 2020, the construction of new energy vehicle charging pile infrastructure was included by the central government as one of the seven major areas of "new infrastructure", which brought huge policy opportunities to promote the development of the charging pile market across the country.
With the rapid development of the charging pile market, problems such as single source of operating income and long payback period in the industry have become increasingly prominent, and actively exploring new charging pile construction and operation models has become the key to promoting the sustainable development of the industry. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, digital technologies such as full communication technology, Internet of Vehicles, and digital platform operation methods, and the organic integration of charging piles with green energy and smart grid, are important measures to promote the transformation of charging pile construction and operation mode and improve their commercial efficiency, which is of great significance to promote the development of the charging pile market and new energy vehicle industry, and promote the realization of the national dual carbon goal.
The development of China's charging pile market
As an important part of charging facilities, charging piles are the energy supply device of new energy vehicles and belong to the key link of the new energy vehicle industry chain. In recent years, under the dual promotion of policy and market, the construction of domestic charging infrastructure has grown rapidly, and the industrial chain has accelerated and improved. As of July 2022, a total of 3.980 million units of various charging infrastructures have been built nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 97.5%. Among them, the number of public charging piles was 1.575 million units, a year-on-year increase of 65.7%, and the number of private charging piles was 2.405 million units, a year-on-year increase of 125.9%. According to Dongguan Securities, the number of charging piles in China will reach 5.06 million units by 2022, and the number of charging piles will increase to 14.66 million units by 2025. Market related institutions said that under the constraint of the target of 1:1 vehicle pile ratio, the total investment in the charging pile market in the next 10 years will reach one trillion yuan.
From the perspective of the charging pile industry chain, charging construction to operation mainly involves charging equipment manufacturers, charging construction operators, and overall solution providers, and these types of practitioners in the domestic charging industry chain often overlap in identity and are involved in multiple functional fields at the same time. The upstream of the industrial chain involves component and equipment manufacturers, mainly responsible for providing various charging pile components and charging equipment; Midstream is the construction and operator of charging stations, responsible for the construction and operation of charging stations and providing charging services; Downstream are new energy electric vehicle users, who consume on charging piles. Among them, equipment manufacturers and operators are the most important links in the charging pile industry chain, that is, the construction and operation efficiency of charging piles are the key to restricting the development of the industry. At present, there are many construction and operation modes in the field of charging piles in China, and different models have significant differences in construction and operation entities and service provision methods.
(1) Charging operator-led mode
The charging operator model is market-led, but the revenue source is single and less sustainable. This model refers to the operation and management mode in which operators establish APP, SaaS platform, provide charging data detection and integrated operation and maintenance solutions online, and independently complete the investment and construction of charging piles offline, operation and maintenance maintenance, and provide users with charging services, representative enterprises include State Grid Electric, Star Charging, EVI Energy, etc. This model not only helps to accelerate the promotion of new energy vehicles and charging piles, but also quickly integrates social resources and promotes the improvement of operation and management efficiency. Most of the charging piles that adopt the charging operator-led mode are public charging piles and dedicated charging piles. However, the disadvantages of this model are also very obvious, and the willingness to share data between operators is not high, resulting in low interconnection of vehicle piles and low utilization rate of charging piles. As far as the current market situation is concerned, the overall profitability of this model is not high.
(2) The dominant model of car companies
The cooperative pile building model has a variety of revenue sources, which is better than the self-built pile model of car enterprises. The pile construction led by car enterprises is mainly divided into two modes: independent pile construction and cooperative pile construction. Most of the charging piles that adopt the dominant mode of car companies are public charging piles and private charging piles. Independent pile construction refers to the independent construction of charging piles by electric vehicle enterprises as after-sales service to extend the value chain and ensure a high-quality charging experience for users in order to increase sales, build a vehicle pile ecological chain and form a closed loop. Under this model, car companies need to bear multiple costs such as charging pile investment and construction, post-maintenance, etc., and the source of profit basically depends on the difference between charging service fees and electricity fees, and profits are difficult to cover high costs. At the same time, such charging piles are only for fixed users of car companies, with a single customer group, low utilization rate, and difficulty in profitability, and now only Tesla and NIO still adhere to this model.
Under the cooperative pile construction mode, car companies provide customer groups, and operators provide energy and technology to support this model, which not only helps to realize the interconnection of vehicle pile information and data, but also provides customers with information value-added services such as finance and leasing, and improves revenue capacity, and the two complement each other, which is conducive to further expansion of business scope and achieve a win-win situation.
(3) The dominant model of the third-party charging service platform
Under the consensus of interconnection, third-party platforms came into being, the utilization rate of monopile was significantly improved, and resource allocation was optimized. Third-party charging service platforms generally do not participate in the investment and construction of charging piles, but integrate and connect the charging piles of various charging operators to self-operated SaaS platforms. For operators, this model uses technologies such as big data and resource integration and allocation to open up charging piles of different operators, significantly improving the utilization rate of monopiles and making operators' revenue more stable. For platform enterprises, relying on intelligent management to provide business value, the traffic advantages brought by the customized operation service platform are difficult to be copied by other enterprises in the short term. For car owners, they can experience the one-stop full-process charging service of pile finding, navigation and payment, and feel better. Charging piles using the leading mode of third-party charging service platforms, including public, private and private charging piles, representative enterprises include Langxin Technology charging pile aggregation platform Xinditu, which has been connected to the top ten brands such as Star Charging, State Grid, and Cloud Fast Charging, and the number of operating charging piles exceeds 300,000, and the aggregate charging volume in 2021 will be nearly 560 million kWh, and it is expected to access more brands to improve coverage in the future.
The revenue of this model mainly comes from the service fee sharing with operators and value-added services based on big data mining, and some enterprises with large market share are expected to expand from a single charging service fee commission to power sales. Therefore, the platform has strong stickiness to fixed operators, and there is naturally a conflict of interest between the two parties, once the head operator stops cooperating, the platform will passively lose market competitiveness and withdraw from the market. Therefore, the two parties should clarify the relationship of interests at the beginning of the cooperation, establish a preliminary mutual benefit mechanism, shift the focus of growth to value-added services after the traffic stabilizes, and continuously improve the operation model.
(4) Crowdfunding model
The multi-party cooperation model is becoming more mature, and the allocation of resources is more reasonable. In addition to the three mainstream operation modes, the multi-party cooperation trend of crowdfunding pile construction through "investor + charging service operator + site resource side" has gradually emerged. This model requires resource recruiters to have a strong background and appeal in the industry, with venue partners sharing the service fee share, capital partners obtaining a guaranteed or proportional service fee share, and charging station partners improving operational efficiency through software and hardware debugging. This model can largely improve the operational dilemma of operators' heavy assets, effectively revitalize the upstream and downstream industrial resources of charging piles, and actively expand the pattern of charging pile industry. State Grid has obvious advantages in this mode due to its absolute power resources and background, and Xingxing Charging and Xpeng Motors are also initially trying this model.
The "optical storage, charging and discharging" model is an important solution to solve the pain points of industry construction and operation and promote the green development of the industry
Although there are great differences in the construction and operation modes of different charging piles, on the whole, the problems of long payback period, single source of business income, and weak ability to participate in grid interaction are prominent. Especially driven by the rapid growth of fast charging in the market and the dual demand of construction operators to improve the utilization rate of charging piles, the large-scale deployment of the number of DC fast charging piles inevitably brings the problem of impact load to the power grid, and the capacitance capacity of the distribution network is challenged. Therefore, the combination of digital technologies that integrate charging piles with photovoltaic, energy storage, and vehicle network interaction has become a key breakthrough to promote the bottleneck of the development of the charging pile industry.
The integrated model of "optical storage and charging" based on the digital platform of aggregate charging is a typical application of energy digitalization in new energy vehicle charging scenarios, which solves the industry problem that it is difficult to share the data of current charging pile operators through digital technology and operation, and opens up a complete closed loop of green electricity from production to storage to consumption, helping the promotion and use of new energy vehicles, promoting green energy transformation, and helping to achieve the goal of dual carbon.
1. The "solar storage, charging and discharging" integrated power station is an important measure to build the energy Internet and promote the digital transformation of energy. "Solar storage, charging and discharging" is a local green microgrid composed of photovoltaic power generation, energy storage battery, charging pile charging and discharging, etc. Under this mode, the energy storage system can take advantage of the peak-valley electricity price difference to respond to the demand between the mobile energy terminal and household energy storage facilities of electric vehicles and the power grid, formulate reasonable charging and discharging strategies, optimize the optimal allocation of electric energy, so as to obtain better social and economic benefits, and can alleviate the impact of the charging load of electric vehicles on the distribution network. Based on the integrated power station of solar storage, charging and discharging, it can realize the on-site consumption of photovoltaic resources, reduce the impact of the simple connection between the charging station and the distribution network on the distribution network, and realize the orderly interaction between the local microgrid and the power grid, which is an important means to develop the energy Internet. Under the background of the rapid growth of new energy vehicles, the integrated power station of solar storage, charging and discharging has become an important direction for the construction of future charging stations, and an important measure to build the energy Internet and promote the digital transformation of energy.
2. The "solar storage, charging and discharging" mode is an important direction for the construction of a new power system, which is of great significance for improving the level of new energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions. The integrated solar storage, charging and discharging power station accurately collects photovoltaic systems, energy storage systems and electricity collection systems through digital data collection methods such as sensors, intelligent meters, and collection terminals, so as to realize independent local management and control of corresponding sources, loads and storage; At the same time, through the energy digital platform, the coordinated and stable operation of photovoltaic, energy storage and load is realized, and the comprehensive perception, data fusion and intelligent application of the power grid are realized, effectively improving energy utilization efficiency and ensuring the priority use of clean energy in the system, helping the construction of a new power system. With the gradual increase of clean energy utilization, the integration of solar storage, charging and discharging, as an innovative application mode of green power in the era of energy digitalization, will have more and more competitive advantages.
3. The integrated mode of "solar storage, charging and discharging" expands the application scenarios of photovoltaic and energy storage technologies, and realizes the green energy supply of electric vehicle charging stations. The integrated mode of "solar storage and charging" opens up a complete "green cycle" of green electricity from production to storage to consumption, and realizes "green charging and pile raising with light". Through the solar storage, charging and discharging system, solar energy as a clean energy can be efficiently transferred to the power battery of the car for vehicle driving, which improves the penetration rate of renewable energy and realizes the connection between electric vehicle charging stations and renewable energy. Through the construction and promotion of integrated solar storage, charging and discharging power stations, the scale of green electricity consumption in the transportation sector has been significantly increased, which can effectively reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector. According to statistics, with 100 million new energy vehicles, if "green electricity" is used throughout the year, its total is close to the total annual power generation of the 10 Three Gorges Dams. At present, the integrated solar storage, charging and discharging power station is the most piloted project in the field of "green power" of new energy vehicles, which is regarded by the industry as an important starting point to break the bottleneck of the development of the new energy vehicle industry, and is also an important guarantee for the digital transformation of energy and carbon peak and carbon neutrality in the transportation field.
Problems faced by the "optical storage, charging and discharging" mode
At present, the application of "optical storage, charging and discharging" integrated charging mode and scenarios is significantly faster than the introduction of policies and industry standards, and there is also a lack of mature market environment and business model as support, which leads to the development of the "optical storage and charging" integrated mode of charging piles encountering great obstacles, which is not conducive to meeting the charging demand of new energy vehicles, accelerating the development of new energy vehicles, promoting the green digital transformation of energy in the transportation field, and is not conducive to achieving the "dual carbon" goal.
1. Subsidies for photovoltaic projects have been reduced, and the large-scale promotion of distributed photovoltaics has been limited
Solving the problem of charging new energy vehicles is a necessary part of promoting the green transformation of energy in China's transportation sector, and promoting "new energy electricity for new energy vehicles" is the key. The "solar storage and charging" integrated model can successfully solve the greening of the charging link of new energy vehicles by converting solar energy into electricity by building photovoltaic power plants. However, in recent years, the state has continuously lowered photovoltaic subsidies. The industrial and commercial distributed photovoltaic subsidy was lowered from 0.42 yuan/kWh in 2013 to 0.05 yuan/kWh in 2020, and directly supplemented in 2021. In 2022, the state will no longer issue photovoltaic subsidies, and only some cities will still enjoy municipal and district-level subsidies, such as Shenzhen and Nanjing. This has also slowed down the development of distributed photovoltaics to a certain extent. Without the support of subsidy policies, the economic benefits of industrial and commercial distributed photovoltaics will be reduced, and its economy mainly depends on the peak-to-valley electricity price difference of the power grid, and the operation mode has not reached the scale of household photovoltaics, and its business model promotion will encounter some bottlenecks. Therefore, it is necessary to support market entities and support enterprises with advanced photovoltaic power generation technology or models.
2. The incentive of energy storage policy is insufficient, and the energy storage efficiency in the "solar storage and charging" mode is not good
The characteristics of strong volatility of new energy have caused great pressure on the stability of the existing power system, and it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a new power system that meets the characteristics of new energy and improve the absorption capacity of the power grid for renewable energy power generation. Among them, a certain proportion of energy storage in new energy consumption scenarios such as charging piles has become the key. However, the reality is that the flexible adjustment capacity of China's power system, especially the power supply side, is seriously low, and energy storage lacks corresponding support mechanisms. Under the condition that the market mechanism of electricity and ancillary services is not perfect and the profit model is not clear, it is difficult to effectively guarantee the utilization hours and utilization rate of energy storage, and enterprises have great concerns about the investment of energy storage power stations. On the other hand, the price of upstream raw materials continues to rise, resulting in the cost of the downstream energy storage industry being difficult to channel.
3. Vehicle-network interaction (V2G) has great resistance and limited development of energy interconnection
The energy interaction of electric vehicles participating in the power grid can give full play to the supporting and regulating role of electric vehicles on the energy Internet, which is an important measure to "cut peaks and fill valleys" to adjust the power load, enhance the stability of the power grid, and help the large-scale use of new energy vehicles. The "New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035)" and other documents propose to promote the innovation and pilot demonstration of vehicle-network interaction, and encourage the construction of "optical storage, charging and discharging" multi-functional integrated integrated stations. However, vehicle-network interaction involves the coordination of the two major industries, and although the policy proposes to vigorously support the acceleration of the development of vehicle-network interaction standards and pilot programs, there is still a lack of a clear overall promotion mechanism and standard technical design planning, and the financial support for pilot projects, the evaluation of the effect of demonstration pilot projects and the transformation of standards are also relatively weak. At the same time, the current design of China's power market has access thresholds such as charge and discharge power, continuous charging and discharge time, charging power scale, etc., and lacks access policies for decentralized user-side resources, so the number of new energy vehicles and two-way charging piles equipped with discharge functions in the market is extremely limited, and the number of users participating in V2G interaction is small.
Related recommendations
1. Increase support for the construction and operation of downstream charging (exchange) facilities
New energy vehicles are one of China's strategic emerging industries, and as a key supporting facility, the construction and development progress of charging piles will have a direct and deep impact on the development of new energy vehicles. In the future, the policy level should focus on guiding more social resources and funds to invest in the charging pile industry, promote the acceleration of industrial layout, realize the diversification of consumption scenarios, and reshape the new ecology of charging services. At the same time, local provinces and cities are expected to formulate detailed charging pile construction plans to promote the construction of charging piles in government agencies, enterprises and institutions, colleges and universities, parks, central business districts and other areas. At the same time, supporting the subsidy and technical support for the charging operation platform, local governments should implement improvement plans according to local conditions, and focus on the problem of pile construction in old communities and "difficult charging" on highways.
2. Support distributed photovoltaic market entities and increase support for photovoltaic operation platforms
The first is to increase subsidies for enterprises with advanced photovoltaic power generation technology or models, so as to encourage enterprises to strengthen the research and development of related technologies, alleviate the problem that the cost and price of China's photovoltaic modules are constantly compressed in market competition, and improve the dependence of China's photovoltaic industry on foreign countries. The second is to promote the relevant planning of distributed photovoltaic construction in various regions, encourage all localities to introduce targeted support policies for distributed photovoltaic land, energy use and environment, and support the promotion and use of distributed photovoltaic in energy consumption scenarios such as charging piles. The third is to increase support for distributed photovoltaic operation platforms and enterprises, promote the popularization and application of distributed photovoltaic in energy consumption scenarios such as charging piles from the government side, improve the digital operation capabilities of charging piles and charging stations, and achieve green and orderly (smart) charging.
3. Improve relevant policy mechanisms and increase policy guarantees for the energy storage industry
On the basis of the "14th Five-Year Plan" New Energy Storage Development Implementation Plan, implement support for important energy consumption scenarios such as new energy vehicle charging facilities, and further refine the energy storage construction standards in various fields and scenarios. The first is to further improve policy support and market-oriented participation mechanisms, reduce the cost of new energy enterprises investing in new energy storage, and orderly promote the high-quality development of new energy storage. The second is to increase subsidies for energy storage technologies and business models, accelerate the construction of new energy storage facilities by enterprises, realize the commercialization of energy storage facilities as soon as possible, and enhance market competitiveness. Consider supporting new technologies such as sodium-ion batteries and new lithium-ion batteries, and accelerate technological breakthroughs in non-pumped energy storage technology. The third is to encourage the demonstration and application of leading technologies such as energy storage, promote the integration of "photovoltaic storage, charging and discharging" and photovoltaic storage integration projects, innovate joint operations, shared energy storage and other modes, and achieve the optimal energy storage operation system.
4. Increase R&D support for key technologies such as vehicle-network interaction and energy interconnection, and give play to the main role of enterprise technology research
Promoting the interactive connection of electric vehicles and power grids is an important measure to realize the efficient regulation of new energy-based power systems and energy Internet in the future.
Therefore, it is suggested that, first, we should increase the importance of the level of vehicle-network interaction, gradually guide electric vehicles to connect to the power grid from the policy level, give full play to the role of new energy vehicles on the demand side of electricity consumption and energy storage supply side, and promote "new energy vehicles charging new energy", so as to promote the coordinated development of electric vehicles and energy Internet.
The second is to increase investment in research and development, concentrate industry, education and research forces to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies such as charging and discharging, energy interconnection, give play to the guiding and leveraging role of policy funds, highlight the main position and exemplary role of enterprises in major technological research, increase the support and reward for enterprise research and development of key technologies, improve the use effect and orientation of funding funds, improve the efficiency and achievements of core technology research and development, and accelerate technological innovation breakthroughs in vehicle-network interaction.
