The Chinese market has become vital for many automakers. For some, it’s a haven of high sales numbers to offset struggles in markets like the U.S. and Europe. To others, like Tesla, it’s a way to promote your product to a vast and growing marketplace. Tesla has made a commitment to China with a deal to set up 400 new charging stations across the country.
According to Bloomberg, Tesla is working with China Unicom, the country’s second-largest mobile communications carrier, to build 400 charging points across 120 cities at China Unicom outlets. In addition, the automaker has plans for another 20 Supercharger fast-charge stations for China’s growing base of Model S owners.
Charging is proving to be an early sticking point for electric car buyers in China, the country relatively under-supplied to meet potential demand. There’s also confusion over the ideal charging standard in the country. There is no communication standard in use, meaning that even if someone has the right connector–and there’s no guarantee of that with no connection standard either–their vehicle may not be compatible. Some have taken the charging issue into their own hands. In July, a Model S-owning businessman named Zong Yi paid for the installation of 16 charging stations along a 3,750-mile route from Beijing to Guangzhou.