eTechvolution

China’s EV Charging Math Is Different: 1.2 MW, 20 Charge Points

A first-night field observation from Beijing’s EV charging market. A few hours after landing, I found Tesla Superchargers with GB/T connectors and a Shell Recharge site behind them. The Shell site was the more interesting part: around 1.2 MW installed power, but 20 working charge points. What I observed at 23:40: • 2 x 600 kW power units = 1.2 MW • 20 charge points - all working • 400 kW written on the dispenser • 250 A / 1000 V connector rating • BYD Han L and a taxi charging In Germany, a site with around 1.2 MW installed power would usually have far fewer HPC charge points, often closer to 6 to 8 depending on architecture and power sharing. In Beijing, the same installed power was spread across many more charge points. That is the main point of this video: China’s charging-site logic appears to focus heavily on charger count, power sharing, and site throughput, not only peak kW per plug. Another interesting detail: the price I saw was around 0.60 CNY/kWh, roughly €0.075/kWh. It was ToU pricing and extremely affordable late at night. Peak hours would likely be higher. The cable management system appeared broken on every stall I checked, but the charge points were still working. Not perfect user experience, but operational hardware. This is not a final conclusion about the Chinese charging market. It is a field observation and a useful reminder: market entry and go-to-market strategy cannot simply be copied from one region to another. About me: I am Haseeb, founder of eTechvolution and an e-mobility strategy consultant based in Germany. If you are an EV charger manufacturer, CPO, or e-mobility company looking at Europe, I help teams pressure-test product positioning, market entry, and go-to-market strategy. Consulting: https://www.etechvolution.com/consulting Newsletter: https://www.etechvolution.com/subscribe