1. Installation and process
What is the process to install charging in a community?
Survey and quotation → approval and public notice by the owners' committee or property → grid application to the utility → construction → acceptance and handover → operation. A standard project runs 20–30 days; projects needing capacity reinforcement take 2–4 weeks longer because of utility scheduling. We provide the notice and public-announcement templates and help run the voting step.
Do we need the owners to vote?
Construction occupying common areas requires a joint decision of the owners, normally via the owners' committee or assembly. Where no committee exists, the neighbourhood committee or the property company organises it — we have delivered several old-community projects in Yantai through exactly this path.
Can I install a charger on my private parking bay?
Yes, with a fixed bay (owned or long-leased) and the property's written consent, you can apply for an independent meter; in urban Yantai power usually follows in 7–15 working days. We recommend a 7kW AC charger so the car charges on cheap night tariffs.
The property says no. What now?
Find out whether the objection is capacity, space or liability. Capacity can be solved with ordered charging; space can shift to corner plots or a shelter; liability is solved with a tripartite agreement defining equipment ownership, safety responsibility and the O&M party. Most deadlocks are liability in disguise — write the responsibilities into the contract and the project moves.
Old community without fixed bays?
Yes, it works: build a public charging area on a corner plot with 10–20 ports, a shelter and fire equipment, shared by all residents. These communities are precisely where Yantai's renovation programmes concentrate, see old community renovation.
From signature to power-on, how long?
Without reinforcement, 20–30 days. With a new transformer or distribution-room works, usually 45–60 days depending on the utility's queue. Our survey report includes a schedule with dates, not vague weeks.
2. Cost and billing
How much does an e-bike charging station cost?
A 10-port station with standard installation (cabling within 30 m, RCD box, signage) is roughly RMB 12,000–22,000; a 20-port unit roughly RMB 18,000–32,000. A new shelter is extra — see the shelter cost estimator.
How much does an EV charger cost?
7kW AC: about RMB 1,500–3,500 per device + RMB 1,000–2,500 installation. 60kW DC: about RMB 30,000–60,000 per device + RMB 20,000–50,000 installation and connection. Bulk builds amortise cabling and civil works.
What does a charge cost residents?
E-bike ports commonly bill by time (e.g. 1 yuan for 2–4 hours) or by power segment; the property and operator agree the tariff and set it on the platform. Cars pay per kWh (electricity at the metered tariff plus a service fee). Payment is WeChat/Alipay QR, with cards supported for elderly users.
Who funds it? Do residents pay upfront?
In our investment or joint-investment models we fund equipment and construction; residents pay only per use. In self-procurement the property funds it, keeps all revenue, and pays us an annual O&M fee.
How long is the payback?
E-bike ports at ~1 yuan per session and 1.5 uses/day typically pay back in 3–5 years; with a shelter, management and 2-yuan pricing, roughly half that. Car chargers pay back slower — their value is also in community profile and satisfaction. Run your own numbers in the payback calculator.
How is revenue shared?
Our investment model: property share 30–40%. Joint investment: up to 50–60%. Self-procurement: 100% to the property. Flows are visible on the platform in real time and settled monthly with exportable statements.
3. Power and capacity
The community's capacity is tight. Options?
Either apply for grid reinforcement, or install ordered charging (load management). Ordered charging costs roughly 10–20% of reinforcement and serves 2–3× as many chargers on the same capacity — for old communities it is usually the right answer.
What does reinforcement cost?
A new 630kVA transformer with equipment and construction runs roughly RMB 300,000–600,000 depending on the distribution room and the utility's quote. In our investment model we carry this cost.
Where does the power come from? Does it mix with households?
Public charging areas feed from a spare circuit in the community distribution room or the public lighting circuit, with a dedicated meter. Household supply is never involved; the operator settles the electricity cost.
Will ten chargers together trip the breaker?
No — the system caps total power against the upstream breaker and automatically reduces power or queues chargers above it. That is why capacity-tight communities can still install.
At what tariff is charging electricity settled?
At the settlement tariff agreed between the utility and the property — residential metered tariff for community e-bike charging in most districts, commercial tariff for many public car stations. The Development Zone additionally requires electricity and service fees to be listed separately, which our billing does natively.
4. Safety and compliance
Which fire rules apply?
The 2021 fire regulation for high-rise civil buildings bans e-bike parking/charging in lobbies, evacuation routes and stairwells; Shandong checks charging provisions in civilised-city and fire inspections. A compliant build includes independent circuits, per-port RCDs, auto-stop, fire equipment, physical separation from evacuation routes, and monitoring or scheduled patrols — we put all of it in the construction plan and the acceptance file.
What safety configuration is non-negotiable?
Independent RCD per port (30mA, under 0.1s), overload disconnection with self-recovery, full-charge auto-stop plus an 8-hour forced cutoff, outage memory, flame-retardant enclosures and conduited cabling. Cheap units save exactly on these four items; that saving is where the risk hides.
5. Cooperation and maintenance
Which cooperation model fits us?
No budget and no staff: our investment with revenue share. Budget and long-term intent: self-procurement with our O&M. Partial budget with appetite for involvement: joint investment. See property cooperation and the model comparison.
What does maintenance cover, and how fast do you respond?
7×24 platform monitoring with automatic offline alarms; faults answered within 4 hours and attended within 24 (emergencies within 2 hours on core sites); quarterly inspection; non-man-made failures repaired free within warranty; local spare parts stocked. Repair line +86 152-8878-3733.
Answers reflect common situations in Yantai and are general information, not a quotation or legal advice; the signed contract prevails.