New electric model for rental car users offers more convenience
A total of 10,000 Roewe Ei5 cars are being put into the market this year. 1,500 of them will be in Shanghai.
A new electric car model with upgraded battery performance has been made accessible to Shanghai’s rental car users, EVCard, one of the country’s biggest hourly car rental operators announced.
The new Roewe Ei5 cars, manufactured by Shanghai GM, can travel 420 kilometers on average after a full charge. Its battery can be charged to 80 percent within 40 minutes, according to Yu Jingmin, vice general manager of Shanghai GM.
A total of 10,000 Roewe Ei5 cars are being put onto the market this year, 1,500 of which will be in Shanghai to join the 8,000 EVCard electric vehicles already operating in the city.
“The new vehicles will meet the demands of both personal and business users, as well as those planning self-driving weekend outings,” said EVCard general manager Cao Guangyu.
Cao said the company’s vehicles arranged at airports and railway stations are among the most frequently used by Shanghai citizens. He also admitted that the limited charging points in downtown areas of cities like Shanghai restricted the use of the green energy cars, and that the problem can be partly solved with upgraded battery performance.
“When a car can complete three trips instead of just one after a charge, our setting of car service spots where users borrow and return vehicles can be more flexible, which is what we are planning to work on in the next stage,” said Cao.
Apart from longer battery duration, the inner structure of the new vehicles has also been improved compared to previous models which were changed into electric cars from gas-powered ones. With enlarged space, back seat passengers can sit more comfortably.
EVCard first launched its service in Shanghai’s Jiading District in 2015, where the green energy car rental industry has been well promoted by the local government.
According to the company’s latest report, over 13,000 EVCard service spots have been set up in 64 cities around the country, with about 45,000 vehicles in use.
Cao announced that a new two-seat car model will be introduced to some cities in the latter part of the year to serve short-distance travellers.
