Inconvenience about charging was one of the major reasons stopping people from buying new energy cars, according to a survey released yesterday.
The survey conducted by the Shanghai Statistics Bureau found 46.1 percent expressed worries about charging the environmental friendly cars.
A Roewe E50, for instance, can cover 120 kilometers after charging for six to eight hours. There are quick charge options for charging as well but travel time would most likely be less.
The bureau surveyed about 2,000 local residents over the age of 21 and found the younger generation and those with higher income were more likely to accept the new energy cars.
Among other concerns expressed in the survey, 28.5 percent had fears about the distance the electric car could travel after charging, while few others were vexed about costs and maintenance issues.
About half of the surveyed said they were not considering buying new energy vehicles in the near future. Even among the 44 percent who said they were willing to buy green cars, over 75 percent said they preferred plug-in hybrid cars instead of electric powered cars.
Not surprisingly, 60.1 percent said they were attracted by the free Shanghai plate numbers for the green cars.
According to new energy car promotional plan, Shanghai will have 4,200 charging stations and pillars by the end of this year. By 2014, the city had just about 2,000 charging spots around the city.
"I thought about buying a new energy car, but eventually gave up the plan," Zhao Yin, a car owner, told Shanghai Daily.
"The new energy cars are not cheap even with the subsidies," Zhao said. "Despite the very attractive free-plate policy, I won't buy an electric car simply because I can't trust it for long-distance trips to neighboring cities and provinces."
The relatively long applying procedure for private charging facilities has also kept away potential buyers. Applicants must first have a private parking space, and then get the approval from their property manager or neighborhood office to have the equipment installed. After that, Shanghai Power Co, will check if the area is safe enough for installation. In most cases, they fail to meet the conditions.
