Key points in this article
Change Across the County
In Rizhao and its towns, change is happening. New energy piles spread faster, with compliant clusters appearing around markets, health clinics and government service halls where rural residents already gather during the day for ordinary, predictable reasons.
The Policy Pull
The 2023 State Council guidance extends charging to counties and towns to shrink the urban-rural gap. Shandong's plan stresses county and township coverage as a key direction for the public-service network through the next few years of build-out.
Location Over Density
Rizhao's practice shows township piles survive by siting, not density. Placing points where people naturally stop lifts use far above isolated spots, genuinely narrowing the public-service gap between city and countryside for good, not just on a map.
The county story is ultimately a fairness story, since rural residents deserve the same quiet confidence that city drivers already take for granted when they leave the house with a full battery and no second thought about how far the next town actually is by road or by highway.