On 8 July, German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and the Chinese Minister for Industry and Information Technology Miao Wei opened launched the Sino-German Electric Vehicle Charging Project. In the Project, China and Germany jointly investigate technical solutions, installation procedures, and viable business models for the charging infrastructure of electric vehicles in both private and publicly accessible areas.
In his welcome speech, Minister Miao delineated the successful development of the electric vehicle sector in China. He underlined the potential of electric vehicles to contribute to energy saving in the transport sector and underscored the close ties to Germany in the joint development of this sector.
Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel highlighted the importance of internationally harmonized technical standards in the development of electric vehicles. She particularly praised the good results of the Sino-German Strategic Partnership in Electric Mobility that allow electric vehicles from both countries to be charged with the same equipment.
The two government representatives then jointly flipped a switch to charge electric vehicles of the 9 automobile manufacturers participating in the Sino-German Electric Vehicle Charging Project. The event marked the end of her 7th visit to China.
GiZ was commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economics and Energy (BMWi) as well as the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) to coordinate this unique cooperation process. Project partner are three German and five Chinese automotive companies in addition to renowned scientific institutions from both countries. First results of the projects are expected at the end of this year.
