Large electric-car charging pile constructors, operators and equipment suppliers are tapping into opportunities offered by numerous local governments in China, unveiling plans to construct electric car charging facilities in their localities, although small companies are still hesitant to venture into the sector, China Business News reports.

Beijing has announced plans to complete the construction of 1,000 public fast-charging electric car stands by the end of this year, covering the downtown area and nearby suburbs. Locations for 100 public fast-charging points have already been confirmed.

Shanghai and Tianjin also announced plans to construct some 6,000 piles each in the cities.

An electric car industry insider told the paper that China Putian, a leading technology company that makes telecommunications products, including switching systems and other networking products, had been holding talks with the Beijing government. "Both governments and enterprises have started talking to us," a source from Putian said.

Commissioned by state enterprises, Putian China is responsible for the construction and operations of the electric vehicle charging services network in various local regions served by these companies.

The company dominates the electric-vehicle charging equipment market along with a few other enterprises, the report pointed out, adding that the State Grid Corporation of China and China Southern Power Grid Company had undertaken large construction projects of charging stations, with the former vying for the construction of electric vehicle (EV) charging service networks in Beijing and Tianjin in 2011, while China Southern Power Grid Company was engaged in electric vehicle charging and battery rental services.

China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) have constructed EV fast-charging systems near the many gas stations they have already opened in various regions.

In comparison to state-run enterprises, however, private enterprises in the charging equipment industry are hesitant to invest considerably in the sector, mainly because they think the market is not mature enough.

Sizeable capital needs to be invested in the sector, even though it provides only low returns on investment, the paper stated.

A major problem for the industry is the minimal development of the number of electric vehicles in China, mainly because local enterprises' electric vehicle and battery production standards are still not on par, an expert said, adding that the government should step in to promote EV-related industry by pooling the efforts of various government agencies.