Calling a Didi is the Chinese equivalent of calling a Lyft or an Uber—in fact, Didi bought the Chinese subsidiary of Uber in 2016. With EV registration growth in China, where the market has approached 1.2 million vehicles in 2018 (0.4 million in Europe) and could reach 2 million in 2019, Beijing Electric Vehicle Company, a unit of state-owned BAIC Motor, and Didi Chuxing have signed an agreement for a strategic JV as well as the delivery of 20,000 EU5 compact electric cars.
The EU5 has onboard payment and navigation systems to allow drivers to automatically pay vehicle parking fees and plan routes. The electric sedan also offers in-car infotainment and wireless internet connection for ride-hailing customers. It will provide vehicle location and vehicle-theft warning services for future ride-hailing fleet operators.
Didi and Beijing Electric Vehicle have created a new joint venture called BAIC-Xiaoju New Energy Auto Technology (or Jinglu, for short). The two companies, leaders in their fields, say they will combine their efforts on “new energy fleet operation and AI transportation solutions to develop next-generation connected-car systems”. They want to foster mobility with electric cars together, including fleet operation, big data applications, design, and EV charging services.
