CNPC has been paying close attention to the development trend of new energy vehicles, including the possibility of equipping gas stations with charging stations,though in the short term, its key consideration is still products such as coal-bed methane and shale gas, so supplying natural gas for vehicles seems its most advantageous field. While equipping its stations with charging devices is not technically difficult, the big bottleneck at present is the long time it takes to charge a car. CNPC is not now eager to promote the model.

More significantly, this month, Volkswagen China launched a national parade of its electric cars demonstration fleet in Chengdu Happy Valley. In the meantime of the event, Volkswagen has also convened a “secret” seminar about the development strategy of electric vehicles. Although Yang Meihong, vice president of Volkswagen China,
did not disclose the details, Volkswagen had announced its electric vehicle strategy tailored to the Chinese market as early as last year. In April this year, the world’s first electric cars demonstration fleet started off in Beijing, demonstrating Volkswagen’s confidence and grace in taking the lead in new energy vehicles.

One would be to recharge the pure electric vehicle at the station using a battery charging machine. The disadvantage of this model is the length of time owners need to wait in the charge station. The other model is to remove the battery from the car and swap it for a new battery. Were this model adopted, large amounts of batteries would have to be stored at stations.Either model would place high requirements on charging station sites. Present fueling stations in urban and rural areas are the ideal places. The total number of Sinopec gas stations is 30,000+, while CNPC works around 18,000. If such large networks were converted to gasoline and electricity refueling, the performance of the two groups would be bound to feel a positive impact.