A Tesla Model S car owner based in Guangdong, China decided to build what is now called the pioneering “electric vehicle charging road” after getting disappointed over the lack of recharging stations for Tesla’s electric-powered cars in said country, according to a report by Chinese magazine Caixin Online.
Zong Yi, a 44-year-old Chinese businessman, paid for the construction of the recharging stations in 16 cities of China from the city of Beijing to Guangzhou. Asked the cost for the campaign, he indirectly answered, hinting it was double the price of his Model S car that cost around 730,000 yuan.
Initially, he planned to take along a charger that he could use at hotels he would be staying at while on the road. He later changed his mind, thinking he simply doesn’t want to drive back after but rather create a route that could soon be used by other electric car owners.
Yi then contacted Tesla executive Wu Bixuan, who is handling the company’s operations in China, and informed his intent to purchase 20 recharging facilities to be donated and installed along the road to Guangzhou.
Using the power of the Internet communication, Yi also posted several notices on China’s famous networking site called Sina Weibo, the equivalent of Twitter, and on the popular WeChat messaging app that he’s on the lookout for property owners who have available parking spaces that are close to heavy-duty power outlet along the road. The property owners have the option to charge for the service or offer the charging service for free.
Yi said the route will be marked “China Electric Road” on a map online.
He received more than 500 replies to the social media campaign, which prompted him to include more areas or conditions, such as hotels, free parking spaces and easy-to-find locations, before finally choosing specific areas in 16 cities.
"If we install at hotels, we can handle everything on our own and avoid dealing with property management, power companies and the government," Yi said. "Seven hours of charging costs the property owners about 30 yuan in electricity. But if the driver has a meal or spends the night at the hotel, this can become a profit model."
No campaign is completely perfect, however. The spacing of recharging stations is too much for the majority of electric cars, admitted Yi. The spacing is 100 km to 400 km apart. The Model S, for instance, can go for 500 km per charge. The stations accept even non-Tesla electric cars.
Yi also placed slow chargers at the stations, as opposed to the new quick-charging stations the Chinese government and Tesla are considering. A Model S takes eight hours at least for a full charge, thus requiring owners to stay overnight at those stops.
Regardless of these challenges, Yi remains positive.
"If I can get through this meandering trail from Beijing to Guangzhou, I think it won't be hard for more daring entrepreneurs to get into action," said Yi.
Yi thinks he is “the best sales manager” that Tesla has, noting the interest must have generated sales of at least 150 electric cars.
