As the years turn, new chapters unfold. Looking back on 2024, StarCharge left solid and shining footprints on its green energy journey. From the meticulous crafting of charging products to the in-depth exploration of cutting-edge R&D technologies, and from the steady consolidation of platform strength to the vigorous unleashing of innovation, StarCharge has taken high-quality software and hardware products and a comprehensive service system as its foundation, fully providing strong support and assurance for all kinds of customers.
Every major moment witnessed breakthroughs and strength. Now, let us look back together at this extraordinary year of 2024.
01 Frost & Sullivan Certification: Topping the Globe in Decade-Long Charging Pile Sales
This year, at StarCharge's '0-Yuan Upgrade to the Ultra-Fast Charging Era' first global launch event (Chongqing station), StarCharge was awarded Frost & Sullivan's 'No. 1 Globally in Cumulative Charging Pile Sales over the Past Decade' certification, demonstrating StarCharge's outstanding achievements and leading position in the charging pile field.
StarCharge's success stems from many aspects: first, an innovative model — forming an integrated 'cloud-pipe-terminal' operating model that covers the entire industry chain with a vast platform scale; second, technological leadership — evolving from smart AC charging piles to super charging piles with a maximum host output of 960kW, featuring 3-second start-up and accelerated charging technologies, and combining multiple technologies into integrated scenario-based microgrid solutions, along with outstanding achievements in the 'virtual power plant' field; third, comprehensive strength — winning numerous customers at home and abroad and continuously expanding its 'circle of friends', serving as an ecosystem partner of more than 50 well-known automakers and providing comprehensive solutions for brand station construction.
02 Winning the iF Design Award for the Fourth Time
This year, StarCharge's 7kW portable AC charging pile and its retired bus conversion and renewal project won the 2024 German iF Design Award. Inspired by the triangle, this charging pile uses spray-free materials, balancing a solid, premium feel with environmental protection; the light-strip design on the pile body adds a sense of technology and recognizability; and a modular design approach integrates a wall lamp into the fixed bracket, adding practicality and meeting both home fixed-installation and portable on-the-go charging needs.
In terms of appearance, this portable charging pile boldly breaks through the traditional design paradigm of charging piles. It creatively draws inspiration from the triangle and makes it the foundation of the product's form. This distinctive design gives users a solid, stable yet premium visual experience, while fully conforming to ergonomic principles and greatly enhancing convenience for owners in actual use.
Moreover, the product adopts an innovative modular design architecture, cleverly integrating the portable charging pile with a fixed bracket. The fixed bracket ingeniously incorporates an integrated wall lamp design. When the user carries the charging pile out for emergency charging, the fixed bracket can be easily detached and transformed into a standalone lighting tool, instantly illuminating the surroundings. This design ingenuity not only gives an otherwise plain wall a distinctive charging pile design language, turning it into a unique sight, but also greatly extends the product's practical boundaries, perfectly meeting both the home's daily fixed-charging scenario and the portable top-up scenario on the go, truly achieving a seamless connection between design and function and bringing users an unprecedented convenient experience.
With the rapid development of urban public transport, large numbers of buses are retired after reaching their service life or undergoing technological upgrades. Directly scrapping these retired buses not only wastes resources but may also burden the environment. StarCharge has given such buses innovative design and conversion, fitting them with PV and energy storage equipment to turn them into mobile energy supply vehicles — realizing resource reuse and improved economic returns while also providing citizens with more convenient and diversified service experiences.This is another such honor, following StarCharge's 'Aurora' charging pile winning the iF award in 2021 and StarCharge's home energy storage system winning the award in 2023.
03 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Schneider Electric
2024 also marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations. On May 6, StarCharge and Schneider Electric signed a restructuring joint-venture framework agreement in Paris covering European charging, energy storage, and related businesses. The two parties will join hands to create a 'new model' of China-France cooperation in the new energy industry, injecting powerful momentum into Europe's clean energy transition and into elevating the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership.
▲ On the afternoon of May 6, 2024 local time, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly attended the closing ceremony of the sixth meeting of the China-France Business Council in Paris, where Xi delivered a keynote address titled 'Carrying Forward Our Friendship and Opening a New Era of China-France Cooperation'. Photo by Xie Huanchi, Xinhua News Agency
▲ Source: CCTV.com. Ms. Shao Danwei, founder and CEO of StarCharge, was invited to attend the meeting.
On October 30 of the same year, the two parties established a joint venture through restructuring — another milestone in their cooperation. The joint venture will create a leading European digital energy company, offering a variety of energy products to the European market. By combining the two sides' complementary strengths in R&D, manufacturing, and other areas, it will build safe and intelligent scenario-based microgrids to help all kinds of scenarios operate in a 'low-carbon, zero-carbon' manner. This cooperation not only deepens the integration between the two parties but will also take China-France cooperation in the digital new energy field to new heights. Going forward, the two parties will continue to create win-win outcomes and advance green, efficient, and digital economic progress.
▲ StarCharge and Schneider Electric sign the restructuring joint-venture framework agreement covering European charging, energy storage, and related businesses. On the left is Jean-Pascal Tricoire, then Chairman of the Schneider Electric Group; on the right is Shao Danwei, founder and CEO of StarCharge.
04 Brand Renewal and Upgrade: Great Service You Can See
This year, StarCharge upgraded its brand image with a fresh new look, adopting 'Countless stars fill the sky; for EV charging, choose StarCharge' as its brand slogan, delivering not only a brand-new visual experience but also a qualitative leap in service. Under the banner of 'technology boosting efficiency, service improving quality', StarCharge's star-rated stations nationwide are undergoing comprehensive upgrades, with five-star stations equipped with ultra-fast charging equipment offering '3 minutes of charging for 400 li (about 200 km) of range'. While emphasizing technological upgrades and product innovation, StarCharge also attaches great importance to improving user experience and service quality; many charging stations are now equipped with service butlers providing all-round service from vehicle guidance to charging assistance. Here, every visit delivers a convenient, comfortable, and premium charging experience.
The theme of StarCharge's 7th '828 Low-Carbon Festival' was precisely 'Great service you can see'. During the festival, benefits abounded and stations in every city bustled with activity. StarCharge's registered users surpassed 26 million — this year alone, more than 12 million NEV owners joined StarCharge, and the platform has cumulatively provided green, low-carbon mobility services to more than 20 million users. With colorful user activities and abundant charging benefits, StarCharge once again set off a wave of enthusiasm in the NEV industry.
05 An Industry First: The Scenario-Based Microgrid
At this year's Sumeru Summit, StarCharge explored in depth the significant value of scenario-based microgrids in the energy transition under the theme 'Scenario-based microgrids, attentive to every need'.On the day of the summit, StarChargepioneered the definition of the 'scenario-based microgrid', and released a technology roadmap of 'safe, efficient, and long-lasting, with open AI for all scenarios'. Leveraging its charging station strengths and the 'cloud-edge-terminal' model, StarCharge is achieving the deployment and integrated upgrading of the entire NEV industry chain and helping to attain the 'dual carbon' goals. The Sumeru Summit has always interpreted technology through art and expressed products with a humanistic spirit, leading the industry to 'climb Mount Sumeru together'.
At this summit, StarCharge continued its philosophy of interconnection and openness, striving to build the world's largest Mobile Energy Internet. StarCharge expounded on the advantages of microgrids over distributed energy, and made a major announcement of4 product series and 8 scenario-based microgrids, incorporating a variety of AI technologies and providing solutions for different scenario needs, delivering results such as cost reduction with assured supply and stable electricity, in pursuit of 'never-setting green power supply and cost reduction with capacity expansion across all scenarios' as its mission.
StarCharge's scenario-based microgrids cover all scenarios and are an industry first, setting a new benchmark for the energy industry and supporting the global green, low-carbon energy transition. Going forward, StarCharge will continue to lead the development of scenario-based microgrids and smart energy, build a sustainable Mobile Energy Internet, and join hands with industry chain partners to create a green future.
06 Star-Rated Glory: Five Stations Shine on the List
This year, the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance (hereinafter 'EVCIPA') organized the first star-rated charging station evaluation. The evaluation comprehensively assesses charging stations fromsafety and compliance, operational efficiency, service capability, and green low-carbon performance— four dimensions. After strict application, review, and on-site inspection procedures, on November 21, 2024,EVCIPA released the first batch of star-rated charging stations, and five StarCharge stations were selected for their outstanding performance — a high recognition of StarCharge's capabilities in station construction and operation.
07 Mengma Intelligent Manufacturing Goes into Production: Expanding the Industrial Layout
In this year, Phase I of the transportation intelligent equipment manufacturing base of Inner Mongolia Mengma Intelligent Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. — a joint venture between Inner Mongolia Expressway Industry and Wanbang Digital Energy — officially went into production. With a total investment of RMB 500 million, the project mainly produces intelligent charging facilities, heavy-duty truck battery swapping facilities, intelligent electrical equipment, intelligent toll collection facilities, sensing and monitoring facilities, intelligent box-type transformers, and other intelligent equipment for the transportation sector, while also conducting energy storage system integration business.Once Phase I reaches full capacity, the project will be able to produce more than 4,000 units of various charging and battery-swapping equipment, more than 3,000 units of intelligent transportation equipment, and 1GWh of energy storage equipment annually, with an expected annual output value of more than RMB 1 billion at full capacity and about 200 jobs created. Phase II plans to invest RMB 400 million to expand smart manufacturing capacity for energy storage systems, striving for an annual capacity of 6GWh, with an expected annual output value of more than RMB 3 billion at full capacity.
08 Charging and Battery-Swapping Conference: Scenario-Based Microgrid Special Session
This year, the scenario-based microgrid special session of the China Charging and Battery-Swapping Ecosystem Conference was held in Taiyuan, Shanxi, focusing on microgrid innovation, application, and development. As an industry pioneer, StarCharge led this themed sub-forum. Rated No. 1 globally in cumulative charging pile sales over the past decade, StarCharge operates diversified businesses and is committed to three-network integration and energy digitalization.
During the forum, the keynote speeches delivered many highlights. Wu Sheng, Dean of the Scenario-Based Microgrid Research Institute, shared the significance and innovative characteristics of scenario-based microgrids; the General Manager of StarCharge's products and business demonstrated StarCharge's outstanding performance across multiple scenarios through case studies; and Huang Shan, founder of the Yiwa Research Institute, presented development ideas for scenario-based microgrids from an industry observer's perspective. At the roundtable, guests engaged in lively discussion on related topics, and StarCharge representatives introduced the application value of scenario-based microgrids in different scenarios. In addition, the Scenario Lab launched a global case co-building program, with StarCharge as its first-phase partner. The successful holding of this special session demonstrated StarCharge's innovative leadership, provided a communication platform and direction for the industry's development in scenario-based microgrids, and is expected to help China's charging and battery-swapping industry reach new heights.
09 Zero-Carbon China Outstanding Case Award
This year, StarCharge, as the project investor and builder, equipped the project with 5.66MWp of PV, 6.88MWh of commercial-and-industrial energy storage, 10 V2G devices, and an energy management platform, helping the project save more than 45% in energy and cut carbon by more than 80%. In the same year, on the morning of May 26, the '2024 Carbon Neutrality · Zero-Carbon China Summit and the 7th China Energy Investment International Forum', hosted by the China Investment Association and organized by its Energy Investment Professional Committee, was successfully held in Future Science City, Changping District, Beijing. The StarCharge microgrid was invited to attend, and the Fengxiang Technology Industrial Park microgrid project empowered by the StarCharge microgrid won the 2024 Zero-Carbon China Outstanding Case Award!
10 Jiande City's First 'Zero-Carbon Park' Certificate
This year, Wanbang Digital Energy and Jiande Economic Development Zone achieved remarkable success together, winning Jiande City's first 'net-zero carbon park' certificate and injecting powerful momentum into the region's green development.
Jiande City in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, devoted itself fully to the project, providing the park site and complete supporting infrastructure, actively cooperating with all renovation and construction work, and laying a solid foundation for the partnership. Wanbang Digital Energy Co., Ltd. brought its professional expertise into full play, focusing on building a diversified distributed energy system that tightly links PV, energy storage, and charging-discharging, achieving a seamless connection of energy from production, storage, and allocation through to use, and providing the park with a stable, clean, and efficient energy supply on its path toward net-zero carbon.
This achievement is of extraordinary significance. With the certificate, Jiande Economic Development Zone has elevated its brand image, becoming a gathering place for green industries, attracting a large number of high-end green projects, rapidly optimizing and upgrading its industrial structure, and opening a fast track of development. Wanbang Digital Energy, in turn, had its advanced technologies and mature solutions rigorously tested and strongly endorsed in real-world practice, consolidating its industry position, expanding its market footprint, and gaining confidence for subsequent promotion. For Jiande City, the park is like a beacon — as a green benchmark, it leads the city's parks and enterprises in striding toward low-carbon development, accelerating the green transformation of the economy, driving continuous improvement of the ecological environment, letting residents fully enjoy the dividends of green development, and laying a solid foundation for achieving the 'dual carbon' goals.
11 Named an Outstanding Virtual Power Plant Application Practice Case
The 6th Integrated Energy Service Implementation Practice Summit, hosted by the Electricity Saving and Green Electricity Committee of the China Energy Conservation Association and the Jiangsu Society for Electrical Engineering, was successfully held in Nanjing, aiming to promote the implementation of industry practices and help achieve the dual carbon goals. Wanbang Digital Energy won the Outstanding Virtual Power Plant Application Practice Case award.
12 Partnering with CRRC Group to Build the First 'Zero-Carbon Factory' Project
Through in-depth cooperation with the CRRC Tiema factory, Wanbang Digital Energy Co., Ltd. tailored a systematic zero-carbon factory solution. Through precise carbon accounting, Wanbang Digital Energy formulated scientific decarbonization targets, energy efficiency improvement plans, and emission reduction roadmaps for the CRRC Tiema factory. On this basis, and in line with the factory's actual operating characteristics, it established a customized dual carbon management system and achieved 100% renewable electricity use in 2024. These achievements also earned zero-carbon factory certification from the industry authority China Quality Mark Certification Group Co., Ltd. (CQM).
13 Obtaining Jiangsu's First Batch of Virtual Power Plant Qualifications
This year, Jiangsu Electric Power Trading Center Co., Ltd. announced the results of Jiangsu Province's 2024 first batch (the first overall batch) of virtual power plant public listings. With its deep technological accumulation and innovative practices in the new energy field, Wanbang Digital Energy Co., Ltd. actively participated and became an important force in driving the development of virtual power plants in Jiangsu Province. Since pioneering its virtual power plant business in 2021, StarCharge now covers about 21 provinces and cities with a controllable load of more than 15GW, and is the only load-side virtual power plant operator in Jiangsu Province. As of November, it had obtained first-level aggregator/virtual power plant qualifications in 15 provinces and cities — meaning that, across all Chinese provinces where virtual power plant policies are in place, the StarCharge virtual power plant has taken the lead with 100% coverage.
From 2014 to 2024, thank you, Star Friends, for ten years of companionship. StarCharge has journeyed in pursuit of the light. Over the past decade, StarCharge has devoted itself to the energy field, achievingcomprehensive leaps in technology, philosophy, and serviceacross the board.
In the next decade, StarCharge will stay true to its original aspiration, continuing to empower energy transformation with technology, drive development through innovation, optimize service quality, and expand its global footprint, journeying with everyone toward the next mountains and seas and writing a new chapter in energy!
