Zhejiang Hangzhou: Large-Scale Expressway Charging Station Commences Operation, Boosting Green Travel

Recently, the integrated photovoltaic-storage-charging smart charging station at the southern area of Tonglu Service Area on the G25 Changshen Expressway in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, has been completed and put into operation, providing efficient and convenient energy replenishment for new energy vehicle (NEV) owners on long-distance trips. “For a 300-kilometer drive, you only need to charge for 5 or 6 minutes!” said Xu Qiang, an NEV owner who used the station’s ultra-fast charging function for the first time.

According to reports, the Tonglu Service Area (South) charging station is equipped with 108 high-power fast chargers, including 40 ultra-fast chargers with a maximum single-pile power output of 600 kilowatts, approaching a charging speed of “one kilometer per second”, truly realizing the “arrive-and-charge, charge-and-go” travel experience.

On December 26, 2005, the Hangzhou-Qiandao Lake Expressway section from Hangzhou to Yangxi in Jiande was officially opened, marking the first time that Fuyang, Tonglu, and Jiande in Hangzhou had expressway service areas. With the rise of the new energy vehicle market, State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company installed four 60-kilowatt charging piles in Tonglu and Jiande service areas in 2016 to meet intercity travel demands. Over the following years, charging facilities continued to expand. By the end of 2022, Tonglu Service Area had cumulatively built 16 charging piles.

In recent years, traffic volume on the Hangxinjing (Hangqian) Expressway has increased year by year, with mainline traffic volume growing by nearly 1,500%, and the highest daily traffic volume during holidays reaching 290,000 vehicles. By the end of 2024, to further improve the expressway charging infrastructure network, the Tonglu Expressway Service Area launched a “renovation and expansion” project. After expansion, the north area will add approximately 30,000 square meters of floor space, increasing parking spaces to about 505, including 108 charging spaces; the south area will add approximately 2,700 square meters, increasing parking spaces to about 474, including 108 charging spaces. This operation launch is for the south area charging station, and the north area charging station is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

The operation of the Tonglu Service Area (South) charging station is a microcosm of Hangzhou’s new energy vehicle charging infrastructure construction. In recent years, Hangzhou has continuously promoted high-quality charging facility construction with remarkable results. Data shows that as of the end of June, the city’s new energy vehicle ownership has reached 1.2529 million, ranking fifth nationwide, with a green travel share of 74.5%. Hangzhou has built 48,000 public charging facilities, and an integrated urban-rural public charging network covering urban areas, highways, and rural regions has been basically formed, providing comprehensive and multi-layered charging services for NEV owners.

The Tonglu Service Area (South) charging station was constructed by Hangzhou New Energy Vehicle Service Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company. It adopts technologies such as photovoltaic power generation, cascade energy storage, liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging, and DC fast charging, and uses an intelligent management system to unify the management and scheduling of on-site photovoltaic power generation, energy storage, and NEV charging. The service area’s canopy is extensively covered with photovoltaic panels with a total installed capacity of 2,260 kilowatts peak, achieving 100% local consumption of clean energy. At the same time, a 430-kilowatt-hour energy storage station has been built to effectively stabilize grid fluctuations and achieve peak shaving and valley filling. The comprehensive application of these technologies has significantly improved energy utilization efficiency, with an estimated annual replacement of 5.12 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 2,860 tons.

For many years, to alleviate the “range anxiety” of new energy vehicle owners on long-distance trips, State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company has cooperated with Zhejiang Provincial Communications Investment Group, Hangzhou Communications Investment Group, and other units. Following the principle of “moderately ahead of schedule”, focusing on the overall layout of the “two rings, thirteen radial, and five connecting” expressway network, they have actively promoted the “full coverage” construction of ultra-fast charging stations in service areas. Currently, the company has cumulatively built 28 charging stations and 498 charging piles in expressway service areas, covering all expressway service areas within Hangzhou.

It is understood that the Tonglu Expressway Service Area is also one of the 100 national demonstration service areas and a five-star service area in Zhejiang Province. After the operation of the Tonglu Service Area (South) charging station, it can meet the efficient charging needs of more than 3,000 NEV trips per day, strongly promoting the interconnection of the core intercity green corridor in the Yangtze River Delta. In the future, as more similar projects are implemented, the expressway charging infrastructure network will become more perfect, providing strong support for the sustainable development of the new energy vehicle industry and the realization of green travel goals. (ByQian Ying, Tang Chen)