China has more than 50% of the world’s electric vehicles (EV), and EV sales are projected to exceed 1 million again in 2019. However, this rapid growth also exposes key issues that need to be addressed: Are the charging infrastructure and the charging service industry catching up with EV development? What needs to be done to better support EV penetration and to help EVs provide more value to the power grid system? To promote stakeholder dialogue on these issues, NRDC hosted a salon on November 19, as a part of the China Clean Transportation Partnership’s (CCTP) quarterly salon series. NRDC’s China Program Senior Policy Specialist, Hyoungmi Kim, kicked off the event by introducing NRDC’s most recent pilot efforts to promote EV-grid integration in Shanghai. Local experts from relevant industries and think-tanks participated in a robust exchange on the role of charging infrastructure and industry in promoting EV growth. NRDC is working with Shanghai’s local government, local utility company and other key stakeholders to implement China’s first pilot that invites electric vehicles to participate in demand response programs. This pilot efforts are designed to help the power grid system improve operation efficiency and integrate more renewables. NRDC’s report on the Shanghai pilot is expected to be released in February of 2020.