Heat in China slows down e-cars
In Chengdu, the capital and largest industrial centre of the Chinese province of Szechuan, electricity is running out. In the meantime, not only production but also the operation of e-cars is affected.
For months, China has been suffering from extreme heat and drought. Like the Rhine and the rivers of southern Europe, China's largest rivers are carrying less and less water - with serious consequences. On the one hand, there is no water for the grain harvest, on the other hand, the reservoirs and rivers can no longer produce enough electricity because of the lack of water. This electricity is lacking in the factories and households, which suffer even more from the persistent heat due to the forced shutdown of air conditioners. Production has already been curtailed in factories, affecting car manufacturers Toyota, Volkswagen, Tesla and Nio, among others, but also battery manufacturer CATL.
Those who already own an electric car are now also affected by the shortage. The American car manufacturer Tesla and the Chinese manufacturer Nio have now had to shut down the first charging stations. Nio had chosen a special way to ensure charging safety: the company developed its own charging network with particularly powerful charging stations that charge up to 500 kW. By comparison, other fast-charging stations only manage 350 kW. Nio also has its own battery exchange stations, which have now been taken out of operation due to the overload of the power grid. The shutdown was demanded by the local electricity suppliers.
Normally, the province of Szechuan produces 82 percent of its electricity from hydropower. Now that this is no longer possible, the 67 coal-fired power plants produce up to 50 percent more electricity and, of course, exhaust gases, which are responsible for drought and heat. During previous smog periods, Chinese city leaders had sometimes decreed that a third of the official combustion cars had to stop, and there are also regulations that only combustion cars with certain licence plates can be driven. So anyone who thought they could always drive an electric car without exhaust fumes is now being disabused: the consequences of too much pollution affect everyone, including those who want to do something about the pollution with their vehicle but can now no longer recharge at any charging station.