Kandi Plans EV Rental System

Kandi Technologies has reported that a seminar last week attracted top government officials and other transport and environmental experts in China to review a nine-month long feasibility study of its innovative plan for an extensive Pure EV rental network. The project would reduce pollution, parking and traffic issues in cities throughout the nation.

Kandi, a leading developer and manufacturer of pure electric and all-terrain vehicles in the country, first proposed the plan in August last year. It envisions Hangzhou as the first pilot site for a new transport system that would make 100,000 self-driven Pure EV rentals available at centrally operated “smart” vertical charging and parking facilities.

At the seminar in Beijing, Kandi chairman and chief executive Mr. Xiaoming Hu explained the feasibility of the project in detail. In their model, only Pure EVs will be made available to the public for rent, under a network that’s connected with an automated system at “smart” vertical parking buildings. These will be built at several key locations throughout Hangzhou within five years – including around the airport, business centres, train stations, apartment complexes, etc. They will be positioned wherever there’s a focus of commuter traffic.

Mr. Hu continued that the key element of the vertical parking system, however, will be the automatic charging stations. The completely integrated system will enable monitoring, maintenance and charging for the EVs, as well as an automated mechanism to handle all related transactions, an energy supply and parking. The system will also include features like vehicle locating devices for easy arrivals departures and safe parking. Charging of the vehicles will occur automatically while the cars are parked.

Additionally, the new system is highly efficient in relation to the utilisation of land resources. Only 0.5 square metres of space is need in every parking facility for each vehicle. This means they will be able to park 200 vehicles in just 100 square metres of space. However, he most important part of the project, Mr. Hu says, will be the significant improvements in environmental contamination, traffic management, and the time and effort saved for commuters to get a parking space. The feasibility report suggests that the proposed infrastructure would be a breakthrough in the evolution of electric vehicles. It will “be a remarkable revolution” in regards to traffic conditions in Hangzhou, he noted.

Hangzhou has been seen as the appropriate city to test the project, as it’s believed the Pure EV rental network will be widely promoted elsewhere if the pilot is successful. There’s also a feeling that the electric car industry needs continued government support for its innovative business model at this stage of its growth.

Mr. Hu added that Kandi is involved with the city’s government in a cooperative effort to implement an EV battery swapping model for the launch of 20,000 electric cars in the market – along with others like State Grid and Air China Group, which is a lithium battery business. He sees this as a great foundation to gain experience for the development of a Pure EV rental system.