(Yicai) Nov. 15 -- As more new energy vehicles come onto the roads in China, the electricity network needs to be used more efficiently and a charging network, in which electric cars themselves can become energy storage devices, should be created, said the chairman of Chinese charging pile operator Teld New Energy.

Charging networks, which consist of electric vehicles, data networks, charging stations as well as the grid, should be built and through the orderly use of electricity, photovoltaics, energy storage, virtual power plants and carbon transactions, become one energy carrier for electric cars and other application scenarios, Yu Dexaing said at a recent industry forum.

During peak times, many areas in China have no choice but to implement power rationing, greatly affecting battery swapping and NEV charging stations, he said.

Yet only around 40 percent to 50 percent of the grid’s electricity is actually used due to the fluctuations in corporate and residential usage, according to Qingdao-based Teld. And during the night, when demand is low, redundancy is around 60 percent.

Charging and battery-swapping stations, which are a form of energy storage equipment, can absorb unstable sources of electricity, such as solar and wind power, and they can discharge electricity back to the grid. With the increase in the number of EVs on the roads, these autos can be turned into mobile energy-storing units through vehicle-to-grid technology.

For car owners, this will lower their costs as charging their vehicle during troughs in demand will reduce fees. It is also possible that electricity can be sold back to the grid via vehicle-to-grid technology, generating an income.

“If there are 100 million NEVS in use by 2030, and each of them can supply 10 kilowatt hours of electricity to the grid, this will equate to 1,000 gigawatt hours of stored energy.

“And if 10 million scrap batteries are turned into energy storage devices and each can supply 40 kWh, this will produce 1,400 GWh of stored energy,” Yu said.

Editor: Kim Taylor