Charging stations are reshaping gas stations

Recently, Shenzhen released a set of data. As of April 30th, the city has built a total of 362 supercharging stations, exceeding the number of traditional gas stations, and even the number of charging guns has exceeded the number of refueling guns. This highlights the thriving vitality of the charging station industry and the urgent need for transformation in the gas station industry.

From a national perspective, the wave of gas station closures is accelerating and spreading. Many gas stations can be seen reselling and renting on the internet, indicating that charging stations are gradually "reshaping" the energy service landscape. It is urgent for gas stations to implement a comprehensive transformation and upgrading of both oil and electricity.

Why do we need to combine oil and electricity

I、The number of gas stations will continue to decrease

1. Official data supports: According to the "Blue Book on the Development of China's Petroleum Circulation Industry (2023-2024)", the total number of gas stations in China in 2023 is about 105800, a decrease of more than 1800 compared to the same period last year. Since reaching its peak in 2020, the number of gas stations nationwide has continued to decline.

2. Commonality from an international perspective: As the country with the highest per capita car ownership in the world, the United States had as many as 200000 gas stations in 1992, but this was also its peak period. Since then, the number of gas stations in the United States has been declining, from 170000 in 2000 to 150000 in 2012. Today, there are only 130000 gas stations left in the United States.

The development mileage of gas stations in Japan is similar. After reaching a peak of 60000 seats in 1994, it has been decreasing year by year. According to data, there were 76 new gas stations opened in Japan in 2022, while 555 were closed, which is more than seven times the number of opened gas stations. Currently, the number of gas stations in Japan is still decreasing.

The reduction of gas stations seems to be an irreversible trend worldwide. China, as the third largest oil consuming country in the world after the United States and Japan, and also one of the largest automobile markets in the world, is no exception.

II、 The discontinuation of gasoline vehicles

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1. Policy driven: Hainan Province has announced in multiple policy documents such as the "Hainan Province Clean Energy Vehicle Development Plan" that it will completely cease the sale of fuel vehicles by 2030 to promote the development of clean energy vehicles. Not only domestically, but also in Europe, a proposal has been passed to completely ban the sale of fuel vehicles before 2035; Recently, California announced a complete ban on the sale of new fuel vehicles by 2035.

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2. The strategy of car companies: Many car companies have also announced that they will soon stop selling fuel vehicles, and BYD has already stopped producing fuel vehicles as early as 2023; Changan Automobile announced that it will stop selling fuel vehicles in 2025; Audi will launch the last batch of fuel vehicles in 2026 and gradually withdraw from the production of fuel vehicles thereafter; Honda, Volkswagen, Volvo, Ford, and even brands such as Bentley and Maserati have announced plans to discontinue the sale of gasoline powered cars

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III、 The impact of the continuous growth of new energy vehicles

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The popularization of new energy vehicles is accelerating this trend. On September 22, the National Development and Reform Commission released an article titled "Ten Actions for Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality in the Fourth Anniversary of Major Declarations", which showed that the green and low-carbon action in transportation has achieved practical results, and the production and sales of new energy vehicles have been ranked first in the world for nine consecutive years.

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As of the end of June this year, the total number of new energy vehicles in China reached 24.72 million, nearly five times that of the end of 2020. According to the Automobile Circulation Association, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles reached 53.9% in August this year, exceeding 50% for two consecutive months.

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By the end of 2023, the proportion of pure electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles, and hydrogen energy vehicles in urban buses will reach 69.4%, 11.1%, 10.8%, and 0.7%, respectively; The proportion of railway electrification in the country has reached 73.8%.

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IV、 Technical support for the rapid development of charging stations

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1. 800V high-voltage models continue to emerge: At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2023, nearly 35 car companies unveiled more than 50 models that support 800V high-voltage. Ideal MEGA, Jike 007, Zhijie S7, Xiaopeng X9, Jike 001 FR, Wenjie M9, Hechuang V09, Avita 12, Lotus Emeya, Chery Xingtu Star Era ES, Haobo HT and other 800V models have been released successively, and multiple models are equipped with batteries with a charging rate of 4C or above.

2. The development of supercharging technology: With the research and development of new heat dissipation technologies such as liquid cooling, high-power charging is becoming a new highlight in China's charging pile industry. Huawei Digital Energy has launched full liquid cooled supercharging technology, which increases the charging power to 600KW and the maximum output current of a single gun can reach 600A.

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Electric vehicles like the WENJIE M5 can be fully charged in less than 10 minutes, and can travel for two hours on a five minute charge. A cup of coffee can depart on full charge, and the charging speed can reach one kilometer per second. Realizing fast charging like refueling alleviates the "range anxiety" of new energy vehicle owners.

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Breaking free from constraints and facing the future

The Comprehensive Path of Gas Station Transformation

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Charging stations are gradually approaching, with private and individual gas stations being the first to bear the brunt. Of course, there is no complete egg under the cover of the nest. In the future, all gas stations will face transformation, it's just a matter of time.

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At present, representatives such as Sinopec and PetroChina are accelerating their layout in the charging field and becoming comprehensive energy stations.

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The PetroChina Fuzhou Fuyuan Comprehensive Energy Station, covering an area of 8941.4 square meters, not only carries the heavy responsibility of traditional fuel services, but also introduces Huawei's new generation of fully liquid cooled supercharging technology, equipped with 2 supercharging guns and 8 fast charging guns, which can provide charging services for 10 new energy vehicles at the same time, with a daily charging capacity of more than 300 trips.

At the same time, solar photovoltaic panels with a total installed capacity of 147.695 kilowatts were installed and equipped with energy storage devices, becoming a model of deep integration between "light storage and charging" and "oil electricity non energy". In addition, facilities such as KFC, convenience stores, car washes, and driver's homes are thoughtfully equipped for car owners, fully meeting the needs of different car owners.

This comprehensive energy station provides a model for the transformation of gas stations into comprehensive service stations. The impact brought by charging stations is both a danger and an opportunity for gas stations, which will force them to achieve both oil and electricity, carry out diversified operations, optimize service quality, and enhance competitiveness!

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The faster the transformation of gas stations, the higher the chance of survival! There is not much time left for the gas station.

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At the same time, don't forget to keep an eye on the mid to long term charging market. With the updates and iterations of new energy vehicles, there are only a few models with 800V high-voltage platforms. Therefore, when choosing to add charging facilities, remember to configure a certain proportion of supercharging devices to create differentiated services.

The "power pooling" technology of Ruihua's fully liquid cooled supercharging device enables each vehicle to achieve the fastest charging speed during charging, allowing each kilowatt hour of electricity from the charging station to be flexibly allocated to the most needed areas. On the one hand, it improves the user experience, and on the other hand, it greatly optimizes the operational efficiency and profitability of the charging station.