Heat-Induced Power Crunch in China Affects Tesla and NIO Charging
Recent high temperatures have pushed the power loads of many Chinese provinces to record highs. In order to ensure the safety of the power grid and meet demand needed for people’s livelihood, many regions across the country have decided to adopt off-peak power consumption or suspended industrial production measures.
A NIO staff member disclosed that the firm’s several service centers in Chengdu, Sichuan province saw power cut off, and battery swapping stations and charging piles near Chengdu’s airport will also be cut off. The source added that the firm recommended car owners with maintenance needs consider rescheduling plans or choosing other service centers for maintenance.
Tesla China announced that as of August 17, only two of its 14 supercharging stations in Chengdu remained open, while the rest were in a state of limited service or temporary closure. Its supercharging stations in Chongqing were all limited service or temporarily closed.
Some web user commented that they had received a text message from XPeng Motors, showing that due to the extremely high temperatures, several of the firm’s supercharging stations in Chengdu have adopted irregular or suspended business to protect nearby residents’ electricity consumption.
China’s State Grid is also encouraging electric car owners to charge at night and other off-peak hours by issuing coupons of 50% off for charging service fees.
SEE ALSO: CATL’s Battery Plant in Sichuan Stops Production Due to Power Brownouts
In addition, the high-temperature power brownouts are leading to challenges in production for automobile and auto parts manufacturers. Due to this, at 00:00 on August 15, a battery factory in Yibin, Sichuan province owned by CATL stopped production and had a holiday due to the local implementation of power rationing measures. Changan Automobile, whose main factory is in Chongqing, also said in response to investors’ questions that the local government have required industrial enterprises to cut electricity and stop production, so as to protect people’s daily electricity use.
