Tianjin University student launches campus car-sharing

Students check out a shared BYD electric car. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

On May 23, Tianjin University's Qiushi Honors College organized a car-sharing road show at the Peiyang Park Campus. Standing beside a BYD electric car, Han Jiale, a sophomore student from the 2015 class of the college, passionately introduced his ideas and dreams to his investors as well as the teachers and students present.

"Existing shared car arrangements face a series of problems. For example, users find it difficult to get access to the cars and return them after usage; car-sharing companies find it is not easy to maintain the cars and keep their market share. But our campus car-sharing service will address these problems," said Han at the road show.

A shared BYD electric car sits on campus. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Han introduced his "Campus Shared New-Energy Cars Project" as a point-to-point car-sharing service expected to be established between Tianjin Haihe Education Park and Tianjin University's Weijin Road Campus. The BYD e5 and the BYD Tang will be used in a trial run between the two campuses of Tianjin University after the Dragon Boat Festival. Later, more cars will be put into use according to demand. The fleet of shared cars is expected to reach a total of 50 to 100 vehicles within six months and ultimately the amount of the cars will satisfy the demand of the entire Haihe Education Park.

At present, Han Jiale's Tianchuang Qiushi (Tianjin) Technology Development has been registered, and received two million RMB ($29.43 million) in angel investments. In addition, with the support of the Qiushi Honors College of Tianjin University, Han has a "mentor team" composed of his teachers, Tianjin University's entrepreneurship mentors, and investors. Currently, his project has completed all the hardware and software research and development.

"It's the emerging bike-sharing service and inconvenient transportation in the Haihe Education Park that inspired me to start my business," Han said. "The campus shared cars are only available to teachers and students, so they can pick up and drop off the cars at designated stations without worrying about a car shortage. Moreover, it's cost-friendly, as it will cost no more than one yuan per kilometer. Both teachers and students can afford it."

The "1895 Campus Sharing Platform" is Han's future plan, it will be centered on the sharing of learning, life, and entrepreneurship, and be built in the Haihe Education Park. Besides, the "BYD New-Energy Life Square—Innovative Entrepreneurship Ecological Base for College Students" will also be set up as a link for interaction and docking between talent and enterprises, technology and capital, technological intermediaries and service agencies, and ideas and market, so as to create a sharing platform to foster scientific and technological achievements and entrepreneurial talent.

The vice director of the Qiushi Honors College, Luo Zhen, said, "After sophomore Han Jiale put forward such a bold idea, many mentors from the Qiushi Honors College helped him improve and perfect his project. The college will provide students like Han Jiale with generous support for technological achievements and innovations. The Innovative Entrepreneurship Ecological Base is the first new attempt among Chinese universities to establish an ecological campus sharing platform. We hope it will become a cross-disciplinary and cross-domain collaborative and sharing platform, and a 'new Silicon Valley' in Tianjin."The road show was held to promote not only the campus shared cars enterprise, but also a brand new sharing concept for the Internet of Things. Numerous enterprises, funds, and investors attended the road show, including BYD Company and Shanghai Dingfeng Asset Management.