A COMPANY in Shenzhen will introduce e-car (electric car) rental services at the end of June.

    Shenzhen Jinqianchao Electric Vehicle Leasing Service Co. has started building service stations at major transportation terminals such as Shenzhen Airport, Huanggang Checkpoint, Shenzhen North Railway Station and Dongmen Pedestrian Street.

    Around 200 service stations will be built across the city, according to Wang Xiaobo, the operation supervisor of the company.

    “If a passenger takes a taxi from Futian Transport Hub to Shenzhen North Railway Station, the cost would be at least 50 yuan (US$8). If people rent an e-car, 20 yuan is enough,” said Wang.

    The e-car rental service, which has the advantage of low costs and low emissions, could benefit drivers who occasionally drive short distances.

    Members can reserve cars by the hour or by the day. The price includes a charged battery, insurance, and maintenance, and renters only pay for the time they use.

    The starting fare for the car is 20 yuan per hour and the user needs to pay 6 yuan for every additional hour.

    Residents can rent a car through the company’s app after the service starts in June. All the vehicles are installed with a GPS system that will guide drivers to the nearest service stations for charging if the cars have less than 20 kilometers worth of charge left. Prospective users can also pick up and drop off the e-cars at different stations.

    Beijing implemented a car-pooling system in April by setting up 50 service stations in the areas within the Fifth Ring Road. So far, around 2,000 new energy vehicles have been licensed. By the end of 2016, the number will expand to 5,000. Shanghai will also promote the project before the end of the year.(Han Ximin)