A model posing next to a BMW i3 is pictured on April 21, 2014 at the on-going Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. [Hao Yan / chinadaily.com.cn] |
More time needed
Many potential buyers still suffer from "range anxiety", or concern that they will not be able to recharge their batteries quickly enough to complete longer journeys. Related to that, they also worry about the lack of supporting infrastructure for their electric vehicles, according to Ana Nicholls, Managing Editor at Economist Intelligence Unit.
"The new energy vehicle needs progress in loading stations and recharging stations to run, not only the wall box at home." said Kastner.
In France, recharging piles and stations are constructed by many parties, and those devices are complement to each others. Some of them are built by car makers, some by private recharging solution companies, some by the property owners like the supermarkets, and some by the French government.
In the UK, car maker groups are in research standardized equipment that fit into all the electric vehicles.
In Germany, some newly built home already has power socket for NEVs.
"It takes a while that these technologies get spread in the market. We need to give more time to e-mobility. It's a new technology," said Kastner.