(Yicai Global) Feb. 24 -- Shanghai will build infrastructure, support technological development and formulate standards for electric car battery charging and swapping in order to meet the charging needs of more than 1.25 million new energy vehicles by 2025 as EV ownership reaches new heights across the country.

The city-wide ratio of NEV to charging piles should be up to 2:1, the municipal government said today. As of the end of last year, it stood at 1.3:1 with 620,000 electric autos to 500,000 different types of charging stations.

NEV owners have been complaining of difficulties getting their vehicles charged as existing battery swap stations are either in short supply or the queues are too long, according to reports on social media. Some don’t even use heating in their autos during the winter to save the battery.

Shanghai will improve the distribution of public battery charging and swap facilities and establish an open sharing mechanism for charging facilities in residential areas, the municipal government said. It will speed up the formulation of local standards for the construction of battery swap models, equipment and stations, break down barriers in battery swap technology across different brands and promote the formation of unified battery swap standards.

The city will urge banks to fund public battery charging and swap facility projects and to issue loans at favorable interest rates. It will also encourage insurers to develop insurance products suitable for charging piles and battery swap facilities and supporting services.

China's new energy passenger car sales jumped more than one-and-a-half times last year from 2020 to almost three million units, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

Editor: Kim Taylor