As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Diarmuid O'Connell, Tesla's vice president of corporate and business development, said at the Detroit Motor Show that the firm has begun action to put the network into place but declined to set a timescale.

‘We're beginning to speak with the folks that we need to speak with,’ in China, Mr O'Connell told WSJ and listed property owners and electricity providers as examples. He also expressed his confidence that the company could overcome any potential issues associated with a supercharger network in China.

‘Every market has its peculiarities,’ he said, commenting the recent experience Tesla gained in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ‘We have a lot of experience with the heterogeneity of the problem.'