"There are no outlets for people living in a high-rise apartment or condos," she said. "You can pick up a fight with the property management companies, and they still wouldn't allow you to install charging poles."
The poles' high voltage－it is normally in the range of 380-500 volts－will pose safety concerns to the 220-volt circuit already installed in many neighborhoods, said Ye.
Some public charging points along the first Beijing-Shanghai expressway are not in use as different payment standards across cities have not yet been sorted out, according to media reports.
Flawed charging systems are also affecting profits of certain businesses. An EV car-rental company called Electric Vehicle has been losing money for more than two years.
Cao Gang, chief executive officer of the IEV.com, an online company that is into sales and renting of electric cars, said for many Chinese, convenience determines whether or not they choose electric cars.
"Pricing is a concern. As battery cost is falling, charging infrastructure seems to be the biggest obstacle," he said. "An entire network of charging points needs to be inked into the long-term planning of the city's traffic management."
There are signs the current situation in China will likely be remedied soon. Both State-owned and private companies are betting on the country's fledgling industry by making big investments in charging poles and charging stations.
Utilities
State Grid Corporation, China's biggest utility, has built more than 400 charging stations last year. By 2020, it targets to build 10,000 rapid charging stations and 120,000 charging posts across 202 cities and 36,000 km of expressways.
Some makers of electric cars have cooperated with property developers to install charging stations at residential areas and office buildings.
In Silicon Valley, where many high-tech companies including Google, Facebook and Apple are based, workplace electric car charging facilities are as common a perk as employer-subsidized healthcare.
Weisenmiller said workplace charging has not only become free in some places but many employers even offer free parking for electric cars.
"In California, the idea is to at least make sure that the cost is lower to buy and drive an electric vehicle than an ordinary automobile. You will get a Federal tax credit for the purchase at first, and the state will give you rebates in exchange for you driving alone in the carpool lane during rush hours, and then you get easier access to the fuel," he said.
Chen Qingquan, an electric vehicle expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the government has done much to prop up the industry, but it still has a long way to go compared to some well-developed markets.
