Ray Zhang aims to
be the first in China to
introduce electric vehicles to a
rental fleet
With local
governments in most major Chinese
cities fighting a losing battle
against worsening air pollution, Ray
Zhang in Shanghai has an
idea.
It may not be
exactly new, but he is putting
into practice the idea of car
pooling and the wider use of
electric vehicle through his car
rental company, eHi Car Service, which
he founded in 2006. The Shanghai-based
company now has 170 rental points in
more than 60 cities
nationwide.
Zhang aims to be
the first in the country to
introduce electric vehicles to a
rental fleet of 10,000 cars. From this
month, eHi will add 200 electric cars
to its Shanghai
fleet.
It's arguably a
business decision.
Electric cars
aren't exactly the favorite choice
of rental customers, most of whom
are concerned about their limited
range. A typical electric car also
costs 20 to 30 percent more than a
car running on conventional
fuel.
Zhang said he made
the decision because he wants to
contribute to the well-being of the
environment, which has been subject to
"terrible abuse".
"The number
of automobiles in China has surpassed
100 million, and the cities have
already become choked by too much
traffic and pollution," said Zhang.
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