(File photo of a charging station in Beijing)

Chinese leading car-hailing service provider Didi Chuxing has stride out to set up its own charging network for electric vehicles (EV) nationwide.

Over 260,000 EVs are running on DiDi’s network out of a global total of 2 million, making DiDi the world’s largest EV fleet operator. By 2020, Didi will be serving 1 million EVs on its platform, which will then be able to enjoy the charging network, Cheng Wei, CEO of Didi Chuxing, revealed at a sustainable energy summit jointly sponsored by the United Nations and the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) on Wednesday local time in the US.

“We have started new joint venture projects to build our own EV charging systems. DiDi’s charging networks will not only cover our own fleet. It will also serve families and the public.” Cheng noted.

Together with GEIDCO, Didi has set up the Global New Energy Vehicle Service Co., Ltd, whose new EV infrastructure plan is coded as Orange Energy.

“The future of transport is new energy vehicles, and ridesharing will be a key link in promoting new energy on the road.” Cheng said.

According to International Energy Agency (IEA), more than 750,000 EVs were sold worldwide last year, compared to 547,220 sold in 2015. China has surpassed the US to be the largest carrier of electric vehicles, acquiring 40% of the EVs sold in the world, twice as big as the US.

Besides its renewable energy projects, DiDi also invests heavily in environmentally-friendly mobility technologies, from carpooling to on-demand minibus service, to address urban congestion and pollution. In 2016, DiDi’s main carpooling services reduced road carbon emission by 1.44 million tons.