Earlier this month BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd announced the start of ZINORO 1E rentals. The car is the first electric vehicle made by a premium car manufacturer in China.

As the newest ZINORO model the 1E is also the first e-drive Sport Activity Vehicle in the country and the only premium new energy vehicle available for rent.

The ZINORO brand was developed by BMW Brilliance to create cars tailored for the Chinese market.

"We are very excited that more and more people are eager to look deeper into the new technology. And as part of our company philosophy, we wanted to be the trendsetters in this respect," said Olaf Kastner, president and CEO of BMW Brilliance. "Now, the ZINORO 1E comes with a worry-free rental solution, which means we are opening the door of premium e-mobility to the public."

The cost of renting a ZINORO 1E is 400 yuan ($65.5) a day or 7,400 yuan a month for rentals of three years, with license plate registration, insurance and a package of services included.

Locally produced in BMW Brilliance's Tiexi factory in Shenyang, Liaoning province, the car has been listed in the national new electric vehicle catalogue and Beijing local new energy vehicle catalogue.

The zero-emission vehicle benefits from e-Drive technology, can travel about 150 kilometers, and the charging time is about 7.5 hours.

"We have several thousand test drive requests which we are responding to at the moment.

As well as individuals, many companies and institutions are showing interest in renting this new electric vehicle product as it supports their sustainability strategies," said Kastner.

Anthony Ma, a law firm partner based in Beijing, said he was hesitant to buy an electric car for a long period.

"It's brand new thing. I am always afraid of encountering some emergent problems with the electric system, and have no clear concept about the one charge mileage," said Ma. "Now I can easily try the electric car with the leasing ZINORO 1E, just paying the rental fee."

Oliver Liang, head of ZINORO brand management said "for institutions that need to provide point-to-point transportation, such as large corporations, hotels, airports and even some media groups, renting the 1E might be a good money saving and environmentally friendly option."

First anniversary

The rental announcement also marked ZINORO's first anniversary.

"We kicked off the electric vehicle development project only two years ago. With effort and support coming from both BMW and Brilliance, we saw the birth of the ZINORO brand in one year and the first model 1E in another year," said Kastner.

Responding to the e-mobility trend, BMW Brilliance launched the brand in April 2013, and later the 1E at the Guangzhou auto show in November.

The first ZINORO showroom opened in February in downtown Beijing at a modern complex called Sanlitun SOHO, which was developed by Chinese real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi.

"This downtown showroom actively promotes the brand and also our customer centric, hassle free rental solution," said Kastner.

The showroom is not only a promotion center with various events to promote alternative energy and the concept of gree n mobility, but also a platform to provide customers with one-stop, hassle-free services.

"Our ZINORO team is also working hard to organize partners looking into the necessary infrastructure," said Kastner. "For example, we did a lot in relation to safety of the charging device and proactively approached many property management companies on installment of charging facilities, which in the end will not only benefit the ZINORO 1E but also the future models of our new energy vehicle products."

E-mobility pioneer

BMW Brilliance strives to be a pioneer in the field and hopes to develop a brand dedicated to electric vehicle development.

"Great and fantastic inventions were sometimes not regarded as such and in several cases were either neglected or regarded as unnecessary. When the car was invented more than 100 years ago, the horse carriage was so popular that people felt that this new technology was strange and at best useful only for a limited group of people," said Kastner.

Cars have now become a necessary part of daily life and use some of the most advanced technologies in the world.

In recent years the automotive industry has caused problems as cars use fossil fuels based on limited oil reserves and emit carbon dioxide.

Although automakers have invested into research and development on combustion engines to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, these will never reach zero.

"We all share the responsibility to secure our world and atmosphere for generations to come. We need other concepts of mobility to keep the air in mega cities cleaner and still ensure the mobility we need," said Kastner.

"Now all of us are witnessing the spread of a new technology, called e-mobility, fully or at least partially in the case of hybrids, put into cars by more and more manufacturers," he said. "Again, people pose the question as to whether this is necessary and where the benefits of such technology lies."

This is one of the reasons China has put itself at the forefront of new development and is actively supporting the use of e-mobility.

"The government is putting great efforts into clearing the way for new energy vehicle development," said Kastner.

Statistics from the China Association of Automobiles Manufacturers show that in 2013, China produced 14,243 electric cars and sold 14,604 units, which analysts said was mainly driven by the central government's subsidy policy for new energy car s.

China's new energy car market is booming and saw an 87.5 percent surge in sales this year to 60,000 units, including hybrid car s, according to the association.

"We are convinced that as a core pillar of BMW's localization strategy and our new energy vehicle commitment, ZINORO's success, as a Chinese premium brand, will contribute to the long term success of our joint venture and the sustainable development of the Chinese automotive industry," said Kastner.

According to the company, this commitment to innovation is what makes ZINORO 1E one of the best locally produced electric vehicles in the Chinese market, offering quality, a unique driving experience and premium features.