Beijing promotes electric vehicle rental service

Beijing-based BAIC Motor and Foxconn, the world's largest electronics contractor, launched a joint electric vehicle rental service on Sunday.

Users can book the vehicles at rental points or through website and cellphone applications.

There are currently 1,000 BAIC E150EV electric cars available to hire at a rate of 30 yuan an hour (4.90 U.S. dollars), 159 yuan per day and 99 yuan per night, according to the joint venture Beijing Hengyu New Energy Automobile Rental Co.

Hengyu currently has 12 rental points and 17 charging points in Beijing, with a view to add more electric models to the market, including Tesla Model S, BYD e6 and BMW X1-based Zinoro 1E.

The Beijing municipal government will help to build more charging facilities in the city and will encourage more social capital in the electric vehicle rental market, said Ouyang Songshou, an official with the municipal transportation commission.

Ouyang believes renting electric cars will be as easy as renting a public bike in the future.

BAIC, one of the country's largest passenger automakers, sold 5,510 electric vehicles in 2014, up 238 percent year on year.