Tesla to build more charging posts along China's eastern shore

TIANJIN - US electric car maker Tesla said Wednesday that it will build additional charging posts along China's eastern coast this year to increase drivers' access to charging facilities.

Tesla didn't disclose the exact number of charging posts to be built but said new charging posts will be placed along the coastal stretch from the northeast coastal city of Dalian to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The charging posts will be located within the car's battery charge mileage from one another.

Thanks to robust growth in orders from China, Tesla's sales in the Asia-Pacific region nearly doubled during the second quarter this year.

The company already has 11 stores and service centers in major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, and plans to open four more this year.

Building enough charging facilities has been an integral part of Tesla's China strategy as easier access to charging posts will increase the appeal of its electric cars to consumers.

It has already built 32 superchargers in and around Beijing to charge its Model S in minutes, and it has hundreds of other superchargers across dozens of Chinese cities. It has also expanded the number of destination chargers to more than 1,400 at office buildings, shopping centers and other public venues across nearly 100 cities.