The China-based on-demand taxi service provider Didi Chuxing is now working to start a new electric vehicle car-sharing platform in the country, according to recent reports.
This new electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing platform will reportedly be created in partnership with 12 of the top auto manufacturers operating in the country — including the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, BYD, BAIC BJEV, Chery, Zotye Automobile, Kia, and Ford.
This new follows on Didi’s consolidation of the local (China) on-demand taxi service market (the acquisition of Uber’s operations there in 2016, etc.), and showcased its plans to now further expand beyond it.
The plan is reportedly for this “open new energy car-sharing system” to provide users with an easy means of gaining access to so-called new energy vehicles (EVs, etc.) through a simple smartphone app.
Reuters provides more: “A person familiar with Didi’s tie-up with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance said the partnership was about looking at the possibility of supplying all-electric battery car models for Didi’s new service. The alliance, however, will also likely explore broader business opportunities with Didi’s new energy vehicle sharing service, the person said without elaborating.”
“This cooperation fits with the alliance’s expansion in vehicle electrification, autonomy, connectivity and new mobility services,” explained Ogi Redzic, the senior vice president of Connected Vehicles and Mobility Services at Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi.
As a side note to all of this, as of late 2017 Didi reportedly had more than 260,000 electric vehicles operating on its on-demand taxi service network. That already impressive figure is likely to rise substantially over the coming years as electric vehicle market growth in China continues increasing. (À
