Xpeng Motors has announced a partnership with TELD, the operator of China’s largest charging network to jointly build supercharger stations nationwide, just days after the NEV maker started deliveries of an updated version of its first mass-market model.
Why it matters: The partnership marks a significant step forward. Xpeng is accelerating plans to run 200 supercharging stations across 30 Chinese cities by the end of this year.
- It also comes after sales of its G3 five-seater SUV model tumbled from a record 2,989 units in June to only 231 units two months later. The company attributed the drop to consumers holding out in expectation of the new version.
Details: Xpeng car owner will gain access to more than 50,000 TELD charging piles in 183 Chinese cities via Xpeng’s app or in-vehicle platform, the EV maker said in a statement late last week.
- Xpeng is the first young Chinese EV maker to form an alliance with the country’s largest charging infrastructure operator. The pair will share data on user charges and payments.
- The Guangzhou-based EV maker also plans to grow its supercharging network by converting some existing TELD facilities to meet its technical requirements as part of an ambitious plan to have 1,000 supercharging stations around the country within three years. Xpeng is far from its goal at present, with only 76 operational supercharger stations in 18 cities.
- The pair’s first jointly built station, equipped with 20 charging piles, entered operation in late September in the eastern city of Qingdao, where TELD is headquartered.
- The majority of charging stations will be located in first and second-tier cities, Xpeng said without revealing specific details.
- Shenzhen-listed electrical components maker TGOOD, the parent company of TELD, declined to comment when contacted by TechNode on Tuesday.
“Xpeng Motors and TELD are pioneering a new model and the partnership represents a win-win opportunity, leveraging the strength and capability of frontrunners in the smart vehicle sector and new energy power sector.”
—He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of Xpeng Motors
Context: Beijing is adopting a dual-track approach of both charging and battery swapping facilities as it continues to accelerate the deployment of EV infrastructure nationwide.
- China has built the world’s largest EV charging network with over one million public and personal charging piles in operation as of the end of July, a rise of 71.9% year on year, according to figures from the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance.
- The central government also encourages local municipalities to move first, making more battery swapping stations available for consumers, and Nio is betting on the technology with 122 swapping stations and just four supercharging stations across the country as of now.