BMW Partners with EVCARD to Offer Car-Sharing in China

EVCARD is one of the largest electric vehicle car-sharing companies in China

byDave Bartosiak|
BMW Partners with EVCARD to Offer Car-Sharing in China
Share

It used to be that car companies were just that, car companies. Nowadays it seems like everyone is taking a page out of Elon Musk’s book and getting more horizontally integrated. BMW recently announced a partnership with EVCARD, a Sharnghai-based electric car-sharing company. The two are teaming up under the co-branded “ReachNow Powered by EVCARD.” The partnership will offer up station-based electric car-sharing. Think Zip Car with only electric vehicles.

This marks BMW’s first foray into the Asian car-sharing market. The project will kick off with BMW contributing 100 electric BMW i3s. The team hopes that by 2018 there will be 25 stations available in the city of Chengdu, the capital city of Southwest China’s Sichuan province. The stations will be located around high-end areas of the city including premium residential and commercial areas, office buildings, government compounds and five-star hotels. Users can pick up and drop off their i3s at the stations.

BMW i3s lined up and plugged in, BMW

EVCARD is already one of the largest electric car-sharing service providers in China. By partnering with the car-sharing giant, it helps BMW electric-vehicles add credibility in the region. Speaking on the partnership Dr. Bernhard Blattel, Vice President Mobility and Energy Services at BMW Group, said, “The launch of ReachNow in China contributes to the BMW Group’s vision of future mobility. As China and Chinese customers are playing a crucial role in the transformation of mobility, together with our local partners, we aim to bring our worldwide experience in mobility services to this market. We strive to meet the ever-increasing Chinese customer demands for convenient and sustainable mobility with our premium cars and services. ReachNow Powered By EVCARD is a perfect combination of electro mobility and car-sharing that will also contribute to the sustainable and low-carbon lifestyle in urban areas of China. The official launch of the program in Chengdu represents a new milestone within the BMW Group's Mobility Services Strategy.”

BMW is hoping the partnership can help spur demand for its all-electric i3 in China. With users being able to rent the car on the cheap, it’s like offering up test-drives on-demand.

stripe