Tesla Motors announced that it will bring in changes to its vehicles to bring them in line with China’s national charging standards, says a report from Bloomberg. In its latest effort to build up sales in the country, the EV manufacturer will fully support China’s charging standards as and when they are published, claims a statement posted on the company’s Chinese website.
Addressing range anxiety
Tesla stated that with the new charging infrastructure, issues related to there being limited charging spots will also be resolved. At present, Tesla vehicles are not compatible with the charging facilities built by China’s state grid, a factor that has hampered sales numbers in the country as potential buyers keep worrying about situations when they may run out of charge while driving.
Tesla Motors China General Manager Zhu Xiaotong said, “Solving the charging issue is vital to the promotion of electric vehicles.” Xiaotong further stated that the Palo Alto-based company will invest all its efforts to enable the inclusion of Chinese charging standards and the construction of public charging infrastructure to build a network that covers a wide area.
Tesla leaving no stone unturned
U.S. research firm JL Warren Capital noted that Tesla saw fewer than 2,500 cars registered in China in the nine months from April 2014, the month when the company started delivering its vehicles. The Elon Musk-led company did not comment on its sales figures in China. Tesla slashed jobs in China earlier this year after failing to achieve its sales target.
Tesla is making efforts to strengthen its network of charging stations, bring down range anxiety and beef up charging stations with more luxury features to suit local tastes. Further, the company wants to retain the sales force Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk described as “brain-dead.” On May 6, Musk told shareholders in a letter that the company is experiencing “encouraging signs of a return to growth in orders.”
As of now, China has not stated any time schedule in launching its electric vehicle charging standards. On Monday, Tesla shares closed up 1.22% at $239.49, and year to date, the stock is up by almost 8%.
