The all-electric Roewe E50, used for Shanghai International Automobile City's EVCARD rental services. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]

Locals in Jiading district of Shanghai can now travel across the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in a cheaper, more convenient and more environmentally-friendly way thanks to EVCARD, a rental service using a fleet of electric vehicles.

EVCARD provides eco-friendly vehicles for rent on a self-service basis by using an online platform for flexible bookings and payment.

The service, first piloted by Shanghai International Automobile City in December 2013, has spread across 16 districts of Shanghai and has attracted more than 100,000 users as of this June.

More recently it has been rolled out across Taicang, Suzhou, and Nantong in Jiangsu province and Lishui in Zhejiang province.

Currently, EVCARD has opened 1,109 rental sites across Shanghai. In the coming five years, the company plans to build 6,000 more sites and offer 16,000 electric cars of different types, such as the BMW i3 and Venucia, to satisfy growth in demand.