(Yicai Global) Dec. 27 -- Tesla’s 10,000th supercharging pile in the Chinese mainland has gone into service in Shanghai.

The milestone marks the US electric vehicle maker's official entry into the "10,000 era" of supercharging networks in the country and shows its immense confidence in the local EV market, Gong Ling, general manager of Tesla China, said at yesterday’s opening event.

Tesla has built and operates more than 1,500 supercharging stations in the Chinese mainland, with the 10,000th pile and 1,500th station located below the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.

In 2014, Tesla completed its first supercharging station in Shanghai and continued to build more across the country, the world’s biggest EV market. Its 9,000th supercharger pile was built in Yiyang in China’s southern Hunan province on Sept. 9.

Tesla's supercharging stations cover all provincial-level regions in the mainland, including cities with high new energy vehicle ownership such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Tesla users can find a charging pile every 15 minutes on average, which is much more convenient than finding a gas station for a fuel car.

“Tesla’s navigation system has not yet been connected to a third-party charging pile service,” Gong said, denying rumors.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev