New energy vehicles gain traction in China's rural market

STORY: New energy vehicles gain traction in China's rural market DATELINE: Aug. 26, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:26 LOCATION: JINAN, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of new energy vehicles 2. various of charging stations and charging piles 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LIU JIANMIN, Resident of Houxue Village, Jining City 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LI TAO, Resident of Miaohai Village, Hongfanchi Town STORYLINE: China's new energy vehicle (NEV) industry has experienced rapid development in recent years. Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed that the output and sales of NEVs rose to 3.79 million and 3.75 million units, respectively, in the first half of this year. The association also estimates that China's vast countryside has a market potential of 500 billion yuan (about 68.5 billion U.S. dollars). Charging infrastructure is one of the primary concerns for NEV buyers. In the first half of this year, the State Grid Jinan Power Supply Company built 82 charging stations an